Night had fallen, yet Ian's laboratory was brightly lit.
Heavy curtains shut out the chill from outside, leaving only the blue glow from the Alchemical Array to illuminate the entire room.
His fingertips glided across the magic array. Several runes lit up in succession, forming a luminous screen.
It was a device that fused Muggle technology with magic—the Cross-Boundary Communication Array.
Several months earlier, he had forcibly merged satellite signals with magical frequencies during an experiment,
and now, the device could receive network data from the real world in real time.
Points of light flickered constantly across the screen.
"London—ten degrees Celsius, partly cloudy."
"Tokyo, Japan—record of unusual energy fluctuations."
"United States—anomalies detected during a new particle accelerator experiment..."
Ian's eyes shifted as he pulled up the report.
The report was extremely brief, yet it aroused his intense interest.
"During the experiment, nonlinear interference was observed in the flow of energy,
and a self-stabilizing set of magical circuits formed within the sample."
"Magical circuits..." Ian murmured.
"Looks like the Muggle world has touched the edge of magic without realizing it."
He knew very well that the so-called "energy interference" was actually the result of magical energy resonating with physical energy.
At the correct frequency, magic could naturally "invade" the material plane, producing an effect resembling magic.
That meant—the Muggle sciences were drawing close to the essence of "magic."
He lightly tapped the desk and murmured, "Perhaps I should find time to visit the real world."
Just then, a new data entry appeared on the luminous screen—
"Tokyo, Japan. An unknown energy explosion occurred in the Shibuya area, leaving dozens dead or injured. The government has declared it an industrial accident."
Ian frowned.
"An energy explosion... That doesn't look like something Muggle technology could produce."
He fed the data into an analysis array, and the energy spectrum quickly emerged.
The result made him narrow his eyes—it was a highly concentrated magical fluctuation.
"This frequency... Could it really be similar to the ancient ruins I detected beneath Hogwarts?"
He took out his notebook and rapidly compared the two.
Sure enough, they matched.
"Looks like someone from the Wizarding World infiltrated the real world."
He lowered his voice. "And they possess an ancient runic system."
Ian slowly rose and walked toward the bookshelf.
From among a row of dust-covered scrolls, he pulled out a book titled Research on the Resonance of Magical and Technological Energy.
It was a manuscript he had written many years ago.
"At first, I thought magic and technology could never coexist. Now it seems... there simply wasn't a proper medium."
He gently closed the book.
Since the real world had already begun producing magical phenomena on its own,
the timing of the "world fusion" might come far sooner than he had imagined.
The next morning, Hogwarts' Great Hall was as lively as ever.
But the students were discussing something other than their lessons: a piece of news that had recently begun circulating.
"Have you heard? Muggle scientists in London claim to have discovered a 'device capable of controlling gravity'!"
"Really? Muggles can cast magic too?"
"Professor Bones said that magic and science are both fundamentally energy. They just take different forms."
Several students discussed it excitedly, their voices carrying a strange sort of reverence.
To them, Ian was not merely a professor. He was more like a legendary figure who could move between two worlds.
At the other end of the Great Hall, Dumbledore quietly watched everything.
A meaningful glint flashed through his blue eyes.
He had long since noticed that Ian's research went far beyond Alchemy.
He seemed to be attempting to rebuild a bridge between magic and reality.
If that behavior ever spiraled out of control, the consequences would be more than anyone could bear.
That afternoon, Ian returned to his office.
A letter from the Ministry of Magic lay on his desk. It was signed by Amelia Bones—Susan's aunt, as well as the current head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement.
The letter was concise:
"The Ministry of Magic is investigating recent anomalies in the Muggle world. Please immediately cease all experiments involving cross-boundary research.
Any violation of this order will be deemed treasonous research. You will bear the consequences."
After reading it, Ian merely smiled faintly.
"As expected, they've noticed."
He folded the letter neatly and tossed it into the flames.
The fire consumed the words, leaving behind only a brief trail of ashes.
"You fear the unknown, yet you've forgotten—magic has always been the exploration of the unknown."
He turned and gazed out the window.
A thin mist shrouded Hogwarts' skyline, while the distant world was quietly changing.
Night fell once more.
The door to the Room of Requirement slowly opened, and blue light spilled through the gap.
Ian stepped inside, and the room automatically transformed into the shape of a laboratory.
He took out Phoenix blood and an energy crystal, placing them side by side at the center of the runic array.
"If this world really is undergoing Fusion..." he murmured,
"then I must master the new rules ahead of time."
The array began to operate, and energy resonated through the air.
The blue light turned golden and spread throughout the entire room.
And at that moment, atop one of Hogwarts' towers, a Phoenix that had been sleeping suddenly opened its eyes.
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