The Fifth Element

In the time that followed, Skylar devoted almost all his time to studying the six Parseltongue.

During this time, he also published his research findings on the "Human Restoration Charm" in the journal <Spell Innovation> in collaboration with the International Confederation of Wizards.

In less than a year, Skylar once again developed a spell that could change the way wizards fight against Dark Arts and dark creatures. His previous innovation, which used the Cheering Charm to enhance the power of the Patronus Charm, was already remarkable. This time, he published a spell that could directly restore Werewolf to human form, greatly reducing the danger posed by Werewolf.

The invention of these two spells can be said to have rewritten many of the ironclad rules of Defence Against the Dark Arts, causing a great stir in the international academic community.

Looking at Skylar's second achievement, Ulysses Hicks, president of the Dark Arts Defense League, couldn't help but regret not having been more determined last year to compete with Gulana of the International Confederation of Wizards for Skylar's talent. Even the International Confederation of Wizards, with Dumbledore at its helm, had its share of criticisms. Dumbledore's influence had indeed waned in recent years. He had focused on nurturing Harry, publishing almost no new academic work or making any world-renowned achievements for the organization. In fact, criticisms of Dumbledore could be seen in mainstream media around the world.

As Sherlin and Susan's relationship grew closer, Aunt Leah had long since come to regard Sherlin as one of her own. She used all the power at her disposal and all the connections she had at her disposal to once again request the Ministry of Magic to award Sherlin the Order of Merlin, Second Class, and to grant Sherlin the qualification to join Wizengamor as a candidate.

As the Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement and one of the four most powerful figures in the Ministry of Magic, Amelia's mobilization of power was quite formidable. Moreover, Skylar's reputation and achievements truly deserved these two awards. According to the charter of the Order of Merlin, the Second Class Medal was used to recognize "extraordinary achievements," making it a fitting honor for Skylar.

With no objections raised, the award was quickly approved.

The investiture ceremony is scheduled for the first day of the Easter holidays, when Skylar and Dumbledore travel together to the Ministry of Magic to attend the ceremony.

(The Easter holiday lasts for two weeks, and the exact dates vary each year, ranging from April 2nd to April 9th. The author assumes that the Easter holiday in 1995 was from April 9th to April 23rd.)

Before the Easter holidays, Eleanor visited Skylar again. This time, she came under the guise of expressing gratitude. Skylar was somewhat troubled by this girl who had already confessed her pursuit of him. In any case, she was the eldest daughter of Germany's first family and someone he had just formed an alliance with. It would only embarrass her if he were to do something harsh, as it would affect their future relationship, something Skylar was trying his best to avoid.

Having lived two lives, Skylar didn't have the absurd idea that "the great power of a wizard belongs to oneself" or "absolute strength rules everything." He knew that no matter how powerful a person was, it was impossible to rule the world by force, because humans are a species that constantly progresses, and no one can guarantee that they will always be at the peak of their strength and will never be surpassed by others.

He completely disdained Voldemort's methods in the original books. Voldemort chose to protect the interests of the minority and stand against the majority. Under his oppressive rule, even without Harry Savior, there would be countless other rebels rising up, and one day, someone would find a way to defeat and destroy him.

Skylar's guiding principle in this regard was always to reduce one's enemies and increase one's allies; even if one cannot become a friend, one should avoid becoming an enemy.

Therefore, Skylar ultimately chose to meet Eleanor secretly in the Chamber of Secrets, but--

Daphne must be present.

The reason for choosing the Chamber of Secrets was to minimize the chances of those with ulterior motives discovering their alliance, and it also demonstrated Skylar's trust in Eleanor. After all, allowing access to and knowledge of a secret as profound as the Chamber of Secrets is itself a manifestation of a high degree of trust.

As for Daphne's presence, it was to allow Skylar to prove his innocence and to prevent Elinor from taking the opportunity to seduce Skylar.

Although Skylar was confident in his own composure, he never dared to underestimate Eleanor's methods and cunning, let alone her unique and unpredictable alchemical techniques. After all, in the world of alchemy, even the Philosopher's Stone, which could evade death, had been created. Who knew if there might be an alchemical technique that could break the rules and create something extraordinary?

As expected, because Daphne was present, their meeting was very formal.

According to Eleanor, she had been unable to repay Skylar the enemy and giving her medicine, and Skylar had also promised to share the contents of the Book of Truth with the Hohenheim Family free of charge. This favor was indeed too great for an ally that had only been established for a short time, making her somewhat apprehensive.

In return, she found a book written by her ancestor Paracelsus in her family's collection and wanted to give it to Skylar.

Skylar took the book, glanced at the cover—an old, worn parchment cover bearing the title "The Fifth Element"—and asked calmly, "Eleanor, why did you suddenly decide to give me this book?"

"Didn't I see you use elemental magic in the cabin last time?" Eleanor said with a smile, "I must say, your mastery of elemental magic has greatly surprised me. Most people can only make elements manifest certain properties when using elemental magic, such as the heat of fire, the corrosiveness of water, the movement of air, and so on. But you can materialize spells, restoring elements to their most original and authentic form—that's truly remarkable..."

"According to the Magical Theory, the true form of fire element should be the Fire Salamander, the true form of wind element should be Sylph, the true form of water element should be Undine, and the true form of earth element should be Gnome; and I have already seen you use the first two," Eleanor said with certainty, "I have no doubt that you have also mastered the latter two."

"Even at Durmstrang, renowned for its study of Dark Arts and combat magic," Eleanor's eyes Winky, "No student has been able to achieve this in the past twenty years."

"It was just luck," Skylar said modestly. "My maternal grandmother came from the Rosier Family, and because of the family's decline, I just happened to inherit its secrets and learned these elemental magics from them. It's not that I'm particularly outstanding."

"Hypocrite," Eleanor rolled her eyes at him. "Don't think I'm completely ignorant of the situation in Great Britain just because I live in Germany. Before the Rosier Family fell from grace, that guy named Ivan Rosier, how come I've never heard of him having such power? Going back a few generations, his father, grandfather, even his great-grandfather, I've never heard of anyone demonstrating such a level of elemental manipulation..."

This time, Skylar simply smiled faintly, neither confirming nor denying.

"As you should know, our ancestor Paracelsus was not only a renowned alchemist but also a pioneer in the study of elemental magic," Eleanor said in a deep voice. "This book was written in his later years, a culmination of his knowledge, and its value is self-evident. But the problem is that within the family..." Eleanor said somewhat awkwardly, "Everyone in the family is obsessed with alchemy. Our grasp of elemental magic in actual combat is only superficial. As a result, we've discovered that in this vast family, no one can truly understand this book, leaving it to be a hidden gem..."

"Alright, then I'll accept this book," Skylar said.

"Um..." Eleanor hesitated, then stopped herself from speaking.

"Rest assured, I always keep my word, especially towards my allies," Skylar said. "Since I promised to share the contents of the Book of Truth with you, I will never go back on my word. The Book of Truth isn't with me right now. You probably don't know, but when it was handed to me, it was locked with a Book of Truth alchemical lock. So I entrusted it to a team of alchemists I absolutely trust. They are professionals, and I believe they will bring me good news soon. Just wait patiently!"

After receiving Skylar's affirmative promise and assurance, Eleanor gave him a grateful look. This Book of Truth was far too important to her family; it might very well be the key to whether she could revive her family and lead it to glory.

After Eleanor left, Skylar flipped through the book <The Fifth Element>, his expression growing serious.

No wonder that even among the hundreds of talented people in the prestigious Hohenheim Family, none of them could understand it; there wasn't a single word in the book, only curves that looked like scribbles.

If this book hadn't been entrusted to him so carefully by Eleanor, Skylar probably would have just tossed it away as some kind of prank. But Skylar couldn't think that way now; after all, something written by the renowned Paracelsus and treasured by the Hohenheim Family couldn't possibly be just a prank.

Thanks to his past life as an adventurer and scholar of the occult, Skylar was no stranger to the elemental theory within the occult.

In mysticism, elements, or classical elements, are the most fundamental entities that constitute all matter in the world, or energy. Throughout history, many different cultures have constructed their own concepts of elements, the most famous being the ancient Greece theory of the four elements, the India Buddhist theory of the four elements, and the China theory of the five elements.

Around 300 BC, Aristotle emerged. He was a student of Plato and the teacher of Alexander the Great, leaving behind many famous works that have been passed down through the ages. His theory of the four elements is arguably the most widely known to posterity, and it can be said to have laid the foundation for the elemental theories of Paracelsus and Cornelius Agrippa in the field of Europe mysticism.

Aristotle's formal definition of "element" can be found in Metaphysics:

"An element refers to something inherent in a thing, something that initially constitutes the thing, and something that cannot be broken down into other categories. For example, the elements of sound are what constitute sound, and sound eventually decomposes into these elements, but these elements themselves cannot be broken down into other types of sound. If they could be divided, they could only be divided into parts of the same kind. For example, the water part is still water, but the syllable part is not the same syllable. The elements of an object are the same; the object eventually decomposes into these elements, but these elements do not disperse into other categories."

(Note: The title "Metaphysics" was added by later editors; the original meaning of the book was "the content taught by Aristotle after his physics course.")

He believed that these four elements possessed mutually exclusive properties that could be perceived by humans. He further deduced that the origin of all things in the world was four primordial properties: cold, hot, dry, and wet, and that elements were composed of these primordial properties combined in different proportions.

Later, in his book " On the On the Heavens," he conceived of the five-element theory, which added "Aether" to the four elements, meaning "the void that is not separate from matter" or "the void without objects." Later generations of Muggle scholars and scientists with only a superficial understanding interpreted it as elemental energy existing in the void of the universe, allowing light to travel through the universe and reach the ground through this medium.

But in reality, Skylar knew that things weren't that simple.