Wheelchair War God Speedruns Hogwarts

But on the other hand, this might be her only chance to regain mobility in the short term.

And most importantly, the fact that it had been completely dim from the start already showed that this magic was far more powerful than the other Ancient Magic options.

After a bout of frantic brainstorming, Vera took a deep breath and slowly raised her hand.

Just as her fingertips were about to touch the rune, a sharp pain suddenly shot from her spine into her brain.

She let out a muffled groan, her vision going black, but before she could topple out of her wheelchair, she still managed to clutch the rune tightly.

In an instant, agonizing pain tore through her spine like lightning, and Vera curled into a ball within the Void Space.

The [Source Flow Reforging] rune trembled violently in her palm, erupting with blinding golden light. Countless unfamiliar incantations crawled up her arm and burrowed into her skin like living creatures.

At the same time, an unfamiliar memory flooded into her mind—

It was a vast wilderness. A wizard in robes stood there with a wand in hand, gasping through injuries that covered his body. Before him, an equally battered fire dragon confronted him.

As the wizard raised his wand and recited an obscure incantation, the dragon blood scattered around him began to squirm slowly, eventually gathering into a blood-red rune that attached itself to the wizard's body.

The next second, the wizard's broken arm healed at a visible speed. His muscles swelled, and veins bulged ever more prominently.

Just as the fire dragon sensed the danger and prepared to breathe fire at him, the wizard suddenly burst forth with speed no ordinary person could possess. He dodged the dragonfire and swung his wand fiercely, releasing flames even more scorching than the dragon's breath, instantly swallowing the dragon whole.

The scene cut off abruptly. Vera snapped her eyes open and found herself still in the Void Space, though her entire body was drenched in cold sweat.

The magic runes she had just acquired flowed back from every part of her body into her core like a receding tide. The violent rejection made her vision darken in waves.

When her consciousness finally broke free from the Void Space's restraints, Vera abruptly opened her eyes and found herself limp in her wheelchair, her robes soaked through with cold sweat.

The Room of Requirement spun before her eyes, her ears ringing. The old injury in her spine felt as though it were being seared by a branding iron, pain rapidly spreading through her nerves to her entire body.

Had she succeeded?

Without time to worry about her current condition, she tremblingly raised her hand. The rune had vanished, replaced by blood-red patterns emerging on her arm. They intertwined with the original golden Magic Circuit, forming a strange, beautiful sight.

[Ancient Magic Acquired: Source Flow Reforging (Beginner)]

[Effect: May choose a part of the body to infuse with magic, granting that part extraordinary functions (duration depends on magic power)]

[Warning: This magic consumes a great deal of magic power. Use with caution.]

Vera tugged her lips into a trembling smile as she watched the blood-red patterns slowly fade from her arm, her heart pounding violently in her chest.

She had succeeded!

Though the process had been painful, she really had gained an ability that could temporarily let her stand!

The wild joy in her heart had not lasted long before Vera's smile suddenly froze. Her fingertips dug deeply into the wheelchair's armrest.

The delayed agony in her spine surged over her in wave after wave. She bit down hard on her lower lip, letting the taste of rust spread through her mouth.

Basic Healing could not solve the intense pain she was in. She could only try this new ability.

"Source Flow... Reforging..." she forced out with difficulty.

In an instant, the blood-red patterns beneath her skin lit up, intertwining with the golden Magic Circuit into a complex web.

The Magic Circuit spun madly within her body, and the newly emerging power rampaged through her veins like wild horses breaking free of their reins.

"Ugh!" A cry of pain escaped her throat uncontrollably. Vera curled forward, her long silver-gray hair cascading down like a waterfall and concealing her face twisted in agony.

She felt as though countless red-hot steel needles were piercing her spine. Every breath brought heart-rending pain.

But soon, guided by the new power, a warm current surged from her heart and flowed through her nerves toward her lower body.

The agonizing pain ebbed away like the tide, replaced by a strange tingling numbness.

Vera widened her eyes in astonishment and looked down at her faintly twitching legs.

She could really feel her legs again!

The sensation was like countless ants crawling beneath her skin, but she could indeed feel a faint strength flowing through her muscles.

Breathing heavily in disbelief, she braced both hands on the wheelchair's armrests and tried placing her feet on the floor, cautiously attempting to stand.

The instant the soles of her feet touched the ground, an electric sensation shot up from her feet to her spine.

Vera took a deep breath. No words could describe the overwhelming joy she felt at that moment, and an ache suddenly welled up in her eyes.

Yet before her joy had even lasted a second, her legs suddenly gave out, and she once again pitched forward uncontrollably!

She panicked at once and instinctively tried to grab something, but her hands found nothing but empty air.

The moment she felt her long-lost legs again, Vera lost them once more, able only to fall heavily to the floor.

What Was Wrong with a Little Conflict Between Good Friends?

Just before she fell, Vera instinctively stretched out a hand to brace herself against the ground, her knees slamming hard into the stone tiles.

"Urgh!" The pain instantly cleared her head, and the joy she had felt moments earlier quickly faded.

[Warning: Source Flow Reforging's current level cannot affect areas below the user's waist. Continue strengthening the Magic Circuit.]

The prompt on her retina made Vera's heart tighten.

She struggled back into her wheelchair, panting as she felt magic power being rapidly drained from her body, leaving behind a hollow emptiness.

So it still would not work?

She lowered her head to look at her still faintly trembling legs, a bitter smile tugging at the corner of her mouth.

Who knew what had happened to her legs besides the car accident, that even magic could not heal them?

She had previously tried asking Snape about it in the letters where she gave feedback on the potions, but he had never answered her directly. Instead, he sent back yet another potion that had apparently been improved several times.

Whether he did not know the answer or simply refused to tell her, she would not get one from Snape.

Though Vera was suspicious, her limited strength left her unable to seek out the answer herself.

But she would remember it and keep trying new methods.

Clearly, Source Flow Reforging in its current state could not restore her legs, but this prompt gave her tremendous hope.

As long as she kept raising the Magic Circuit's level, increasing her magic capacity, and upgrading Source Flow Reforging, one day she would truly be able to stand.

As long as she kept working at it... yes, she could do it.

Vera took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing the bitterness surging up after her failure. She pushed her wheelchair over beside the cushions and, while waiting for her magic power to recover, leafed through the magic books on the shelves.

As far as she knew, wizards in this world did not seem particularly concerned about spending their mana. It seemed that once they reached a certain age, they naturally possessed magic power to match.

Looked at that way, magic reserves and mana bars... could, most of the time, also be considered stamina bars.

And she herself... because of this damaged body, had far less stamina than other wizards her age.

The clearest example was that merely cutting potion ingredients took a fair amount of effort from her, and using force for too long would make her hands shake.

There was no way to change that reality in the short term, so she could only force herself to adapt.

Fortunately, after gaining the Magic Circuit, she already surpassed her peers in many other respects. That was at least some comfort.

Vera casually picked up a copy of Advanced Techniques for Magic Control and flipped through a few pages, only to discover that it was densely covered in annotations.

She carefully read those notes and found that quite a few of them concerned the use of the Magic Circuit.

"Magic power is not fixed. Like muscles, it can be strengthened through training..."

"The path through which magic power flows can affect the efficiency and power of spellcasting..."

"The essential difference between Ancient Magic and modern magic lies in their understanding of the source of magic power..."

The ideas in these annotations made Vera's eyes light up. Much of it coincided perfectly with her own understanding.

Standing on the shoulders of those who came before her would also make it easier for her to understand her own condition.

Still, she needed to remain vigilant.

Forcing herself to cast several detection spells on the books one after another, Vera only continued reading once she had confirmed that there was nothing harmful about them.

Time passed quickly while she studied intently. By the time Vera lifted her head from the book, it was already close to noon.

She closed the book and felt that more than half of the magic power within her body had recovered.

After thinking for a while, she decided to try Source Flow Reforging once more.

This time, however, she was more cautious. She concentrated the magic power only in her right hand—compared with her legs, a single arm consumed far less.

Besides, she wanted to see whether this could solve the minor issue of unsteady hands she had noticed in Potions class.

"Source Flow Reforging," she murmured softly, and the blood-red patterns appeared once more.

The blood-red patterns emerged along her right arm. She could clearly feel power rushing through her muscles as Vera carefully moved her wrist, sensing the contraction and relaxation of her muscles.

Vera tried picking up her wand and gave her wrist a slight flick—the movement was smoother and steadier than usual.

She swung her wand and softly chanted, "Wingardium Leviosa!"

With a sweep of her wand, the magical threads of the Levitation Charm were more solid and precise than before. They easily lifted the mannequin in the corner of the room, guiding it through complex paths in the air.

"It really works." Vera's lips curled slightly upward as she continued trying several spells that required delicate control. Their effects were all far better than usual.

When more than half her magic power had been consumed, she decisively stopped the spell, and the blood-red patterns slowly faded.

Though the sense of strength in her arm weakened along with them, that fine sense of control over magic power remained.

"It can not only temporarily strengthen parts of the body and improve spellcasting precision, but also help me better understand magic control." Vera thoughtfully wrote down this discovery.

This way, when she handled ingredients in Potions class, she could also use Source Flow Reforging to help stabilize her wrist.

At least she would not fall too far behind her peers.

She pushed her wheelchair to the door and took one final look around the magical room before opening the door and leaving.

The Room of Requirement's door silently vanished behind her, and the sounds of students moving through the corridors could already be heard.

Vera checked the time. It was nearly lunchtime, so she pushed her wheelchair toward the Great Hall.

But as she turned a corner, she suddenly heard familiar voices coming from ahead.

"Did you find her?" It was Harry's voice, breathless with urgency.

Hermione's voice followed right after. "We've searched this floor too. We still haven't seen her."

"How is that possible? How did a living person just suddenly disappear?" Harry's voice abruptly rose. "I'm going outside to search the castle grounds!"

"Wait, Harry! We can't look for her so blindly!"

"Then what are we supposed to do? She already has trouble getting around. What if something happened to her—"

Harry's agitated voice abruptly stopped as her gaze fell upon Vera, who had just come around the corner. Her green eyes immediately lit up.

"Vera!" She practically ran over, grabbing the wheelchair's armrest. "Where did you go? We've been looking for you all morning!"

Hermione hurried over as well, her brown eyes full of worry. "When we woke up, you were gone. We thought something had happened to you..."

Seeing them stare at her so anxiously, Vera instinctively clenched the fabric over her legs and explained in a subdued voice, "I couldn't sleep this morning. I just wanted to find somewhere quiet to be alone."

She paused before adding, "You don't need to worry about me."

At least, aside from having to rely on a wheelchair, she could take care of herself in every other way.

"How could we not worry?" Harry suddenly raised her voice, rising to her feet in agitation. "Do you know how worried we were? The castle is so big. What if you ran into danger?"

Vera froze slightly, not expecting Harry to react so strongly. She instinctively gripped the wheelchair's armrest, her long silver-gray hair falling over her shoulder and concealing the pale side of her face.

"I just needed some time alone," she muttered softly.

"Then you should have at least left a note. You already have trouble getting around—"

"Harry!" Hermione hurriedly cut her off.

Only then did Harry realize she had said something wrong. Her face immediately turned deathly pale. "I'm sorry, Vera. I didn't mean it like that..."

Vera said nothing and did not look at her. She pushed her wheelchair past her.

Three Heads Are Better Than One

It seemed that Vera and Harry, the two little girls who had been especially close since the start of term, had gotten into a fight—at least, that was the conclusion Gryffindor's little lions reached in the Great Hall at noon that day.

Things had seemed fine at first. When Vera was the first to enter the Great Hall, she even returned a few greetings from the Weasley twins.

No one noticed that anything was wrong.

But soon, Harry and Hermione followed closely behind her and sat down together.

Ron had wanted to talk to them when he saw them arrive one after another, but he quickly sensed the strange atmosphere among the three of them—

Vera ate her lunch quietly, silent from beginning to end. Her long silver-gray hair hung down and covered most of her face, and she did not speak to anyone.