What Is the Essence of Magic?

As we all know, magic is an adjective.

For Muggle on the science side, magic is a miracle that is hard for people to imagine, so Muggle in England use "magic" to express their amazement and disbelief.

However, for wizards in the Wizarding World, magic is ultimately just something they take for granted. It is the science of the Muggle World that amazes them. Few people could have imagined that the Muggle World, a world without magic, could be so convenient and so colorful!

Although most wizards maintain a backward, closed-off mentality due to the influence of the International Statute of Wizarding Secrecy, and hold a condescending or even disdainful attitude towards Muggle, the more wizards understand the Muggle World, the more they can appreciate the wonder of Muggle World scientific knowledge.

Nicolas Flamel, one of the most renowned and learned alchemists of the centuries, was a prime example. After learning about Muggle science, he was often amazed and spent a long time studying and analyzing it, even incorporating scientific knowledge into his own alchemical works.

In addition, many genuine Muggle Studies experts in the Wizarding World, after gaining a certain understanding of science, also greatly admired it and wrote about its various phenomena in the textbooks of Muggle Studies, but they were never taken seriously by the young wizards.

It can be said that both magic and science are miracles born from this world; one is a power of idealism, and the other is a power of materialism. However, the two may not be without common ground.

Take this Eternity space, for example. Although it is ostensibly the magical land of the Eternity, the many cycles of life and death and recurrence of the universes that can be seen within it also reveal the influence of science.

"So, Wen, don't view magic with a limited perspective," the Ancient One said. "Everything in the universe is interconnected; all existence is intertwined. Nothing exists independently."

"But when I tried to learn magic in the modern world using scientific knowledge, I encountered setbacks." Xiwen recounted his first experience learning Transformation to the Ancient One and asked, "Dumbledore told me that magic is the power of belief, the power of learning to choose to let go."

Ancient One stroked his white beard, a mysterious smile playing on his lips.

"Xiaowen, what do you think is the essence of magic?" he asked.

Xiwen paused for a moment, vaguely feeling that this question seemed to be something Dumbledore had discussed before.

Dumbledore once told him, 'The true power of magic lies not in life, nor in battle, but in its most important and fundamental characteristic—the power to transform!'

In a daze, Xiwen felt as if he had truly had the illusion of transforming into all things, an illusion that arose when his magic power increased to a certain level.

To transform into all things, that is, to use magic to reach a state of omnipotence!

"Is the essence of magic... to transform into all things?" he asked softly, looking at his teacher.

"Oh? Is this also knowledge you've gained in this world?" the Ancient One asked curiously.

"No, that's not it. Professor Dumbledore told me about the transformation into all things." Xiwen shook his head.

The Ancient One glanced at him with interest, nodded, and said, "Professor Dumbledore of your world seems to be quite remarkable, capable of having such a significant influence on you."

"In my opinion, there is some truth to the idea of transforming into all things, but what he's trying to tell you isn't the essence of magic, but rather a characteristic of magic. When your power reaches a certain level, you can indeed use magic to construct the world at will; but science is the same. When science and technology reach a certain level of perfection, you can naturally use science to construct the world at will."

Xiwen frowned and asked, "So what is the essence of magic?"

"Xiao Wen, let me ask you, what do you think magic is?" Ancient One asked with a smile.

"In my view, magic is a unique force that exists in the world, capable of helping us accomplish many things that are otherwise impossible," Xiwen replied after a moment's thought. "Whether in Kamar-Taj or in the present world, magic is a force sustained by magical power."

"So that's how you understand it?" The Ancient One slowly took two steps forward, looking closely into Xiwen's eyes, and asked, "Do you think that only casting a spell with your wand or opening a Dimensional Gate with your Sling Ring counts as using magic?"

"I think it's more than that," Xiwen said, shaking his head. "Magic has many other aspects, such as Potions and Herbology, all of which require magical energy to sustain them. The same applies to Kamar-Taj; it's difficult to perform a spell without magic or sorceress."

"I see. You believe that magic must be maintained by magical energy, right?" the Ancient One asked with a light laugh.

Xiwen nodded.

"Then let me ask you, is a magical book that doesn't contain any magic or spell power considered magic or science? Or, what you studied at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry — Muggle Studies and History of Magic —since they don't contain any magic power, are they considered magic or science?"

"This..." Xiwen stood there stunned, looking at Ancient One with a slightly bewildered expression.

"These things should also be considered magic, since they record things related to magic. Things like History of Magic and Muggle Studies don't exist in the Muggle World; they're unique to the Wizarding World, so they should also be considered within the scope of magic."

"So what is the Wizarding World, and what is the Muggle World?" the Ancient One continued.

"The area where wizards live is called the Wizarding World, and the place without any trace of magic is called the Muggle World," Xiwen replied calmly this time.

"So, will there be no Muggle things in the Wizarding World? Will there be no wizards like the ones you mentioned in the Muggle World?"

"The two cannot be generalized; there should be a rough boundary..."

"So how do we define this scope?"

"..."

Xiwen was bewildered by the Ancient One's series of questions. He now seriously suspected that his teacher was arguing with him, but out of respect, he couldn't retort.

Furthermore, in Xiwen's memory, this former Sorcerer Supreme shouldn't be so bored as to deliberately drag him all the way to the Eternity Realm to argue...

So Xiwen now very confused. Is his teacher giving him some guidance? If so, what exactly is he trying to say?