Chereads / Playing With Magic / Chapter 44 - Chapter 44: Bright

Chapter 44 - Chapter 44: Bright

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Hogwarts - May (2 weeks later)

Johnathan Grey

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The armour was done. I was only now waiting for my results, which should be arriving any time now.

[Enchanted Steel Plate Armour - Magical Item]

[Description: A full-body set of plate armour designed precisely like the European armour worn by Victor Von Doom in the Marvel universe. The armour was created by a master blacksmith, Johnathan Grey, using his personally invented Dragon Metal method developed after learning the process of creating Goblin Silver.]

[+Absorbs that which strengthens it.] [+Highly durable.]

[+Repels mundane dirt.] [+Retains its lustre.] [+Comfort Runes]

[+Waterbreathing.] [+Resist Poison.]

[+Muffle] [+Stamina Regeneration 500%]

[+Adjustable size] [+Voice Modulation]

I stood in front of a mirror, admiring the armour I masterfully crafted. Much like Doom's armour, mine also had the surcoat/tunic and hooded cloak. But I decided to colour mine dark grey with a black version of the Imperial dragon emblem from Skyrim over my heart. It was a little on the nose, but those with ridiculous levels of magic are allowed some privileges. Either way, I looked like a short Doom, and I was living it.

Unlike my Aerondight, I was sure to tweak the poison resistance enchantment to make sure it would stop the suit from killing everyone I touched just because it absorbed poison at some point. It would still be able to absorb the poison to strengthen itself if at all possible, just not affect people I touch. As I adjusted the helmet on my head, I activated the [Voice Modulation] Runes I inscribed on the interior.

"Testing, testing, one two three," My voice came out deep and baritone, like the god of war I designed it to sound like from memory, Kratos. The [Voice Modulator] worked flawlessly, but just to be sure…

"Boy. Death can have me when it earns me." 

Yep, perfect. I couldn't help but smirk beneath the helmet.

I took a few moments to move around in the armour, ensuring that the [Comfort Runes] were doing their job. Every movement felt smooth, and the plates made little noise against each other thanks to [Muffle]. The metal didn't restrict me in the slightest while I put it through its paces, with or without my increased strength and speed.

Satisfied, I stowed the armour away in the [Hoard] for now. I had Poppy head to Diagon Alley to have some clothes I designed for daily wear on my travels made to my precise specifications, all basically straight out of Hogwarts Legacy. They were one of my favourite combinations in the game, The Treasure Seeker Gear and Herodiana's Cape. I also had the Legendary Mask stowed away in case I wanted to go for the whole 'mystery' thing.

Highly Enchanted dark brown rugged trousers and boots, black and gold designed mask, and white hooded cape and waistcoat. It would look weird in a modern world, but I would fit in when I get to the Witcher world just fine.

[--[P]-[W]-[M]--] The Great Hall - Breakfast [--[P]-[W]-[M]--]

"You know, it's completely unfair that you get to finish Hogwarts and leave before the rest of us even get to go home for the holidays," Padma complained teasingly, though there was a trace of genuine awe in her voice.

I looked up from my plate and shrugged casually, a small smile tugging at my lips. "It's a gift, I guess."

"I still don't get how you do it." Padma shook her head, clearly amused. "We're all here, getting through classes and getting ready for our first-year exams, and you're already graduating all of Hogwarts."

Terry, who was sitting next to me, chimed in with a chuckle. "If you weren't so useful when it came to helping with homework, I think we'd all be a lot more jealous."

I grinned, taking a sip of my apple juice—because pumpkin juice still wasn't for me. "Good luck finding someone as awesome as me to help with your homework in the future."

"Yeah, yeah." Padma rolled her eyes playfully as she sighed. "We'll just have to make do." She put her finger on her chin as a thought made her pause. "Or…we could still owl you all our work." She grinned. "Problem solved, right?"

"Yeah, nope," I countered without missing a beat. "And don't act like the thought just popped into your head. You've brought that idea up multiple times the last week all."

We chuckled as Padma pouted. Before she could think of another angle, the familiar sound of wings filled the air as dozens of owls swooped in, carrying letters and packages to students, catching everyone's attention. Among the flurry of feathers, one owl—a sleek, tawny barn owl—glided down toward our table. It landed gracefully next to my plate, clutching the pristine envelope stamped with the Ministry's seal I had been waiting for in its beak.

Raising an eyebrow at the creature staring at my food, I offered the owl a strip of bacon, exchanging it for the letter. The owl accepted the treat eagerly, immediately pecking at it while I turned my attention to its forgotten envelope. Sliding my finger under the seal, I opened it, allowing my eyes to quickly scan the expected results.

[Complete your Hogwarts education: +70 SP]

[Complete your Hogwarts education in your first year: +25 SP]

Having finished its meal, the owl gave me a quick approving nod before ruffling its feathers and taking off. Glancing up toward the Professors' table, where several pairs of eyes were watching me expectantly. I lifted my goblet slightly in a silent toast toward them, nodding his appreciation—receiving nods in return—before turning back to my food.

"O's in everything!" Anthony announced loudly, peeking at the results on the parchment. Similar to finding out I was a Metamorphmagus, the students around us erupted into murmurs, some of them giving me calculating looks, others just admiring the feat.

Padma gave me a playful shove and teased, "Show-off."

I chuckled, taking another sip from his goblet as I shrugged. "It was light work."

Soon enough, we finished breakfast, and McGonagall escorted me home after saying my goodbyes to everyone and promising to stay in touch. Daphne was especially expecting a message sooner rather than later, but with my trip to Bright, there was nothing she needed to worry about. I would have the closest magical way of solving her problem than anything created in this world.

Once I was home, I immediately informed my House Elves in my Enchanted briefcases to be aware that I would be travelling to another world, so Apparating may be a problem. They could continue farming and taking food to impoverished locations, but they may need to find those places again due to technically being on a different earth. I wasn't really sure how that worked just yet.

Then, with everything set, I donned my [Enchanted Steel Plate Armour] and activated [Dimensional Hopscotch]. There wasn't a sound, no sensation like a person would feel when they Apparate for the first time. I was just one place, then I was somewhere else.

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Reality: Bright

Precise Location: Currently Unknown

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[Gifted Backstory: Activated]

[Backstory: You are a genius from the UK whose family moved to the US for your scholarship at Harvard University. Unfortunately, on your graduation day, you were in a car accident, which your parents did not survive. After hearing the bad news, once you woke from your coma, you disappeared from your hospital room. You have been missing for 11 months. In your time away, you have been studying and practising with the energy you felt inside your body during your coma.]

[Gift: Surfboard]

I wasn't surprised the backstory was so similar to my Potter-verse backstory. It also helped that it came with some basic memories, letting me know where we lived, my professors, the classes I took, etc. As for the surf, well, I'll just have to make a magical replica of the Silver Surfer's board later.

Spreading my [Magic Sense], I noticed I was in some kind of simplistic tent out in the woods. Nothing special, no Enchantments, just a normal tent. It didn't quite fit with the backstory, but the wards I felt a dozen-metre radius around said tent fit just fine. Regardless, it was calm and peaceful, with no people nearby for miles. With a thought, I decided to use [Observe] on reality itself to get more information on the possible differences compared to the movie.

[Reality: Bright - the universe which the Bright movie was based on.]

[A world in which mythical creatures such as Orcs, Elves, Centaurs and Fairies coexist with humans.]

[Alternate reality in which Daryl Ward is not a Bright.]

Well, that sucks.

If he touches the wand like he did in the movie, he's dead. And I would assume, at least due to the lack of any further information, that everything else would be going the same way the movie did. So, as long as I make it there before then, there shouldn't be a resurrected Dark Lord walking around trying to rule the world.

My memories informed me that I was currently somewhere in Ouachita National Forest, Oklahoma. I remember the events in the movie that happened in Los Angeles, California. Having never been to the US, even in my past life, I decided to use my memories to give me the general direction of LA and started flying, using my [Tactical Telekinesis] to the maximum my enhanced body could handle. As long as I didn't go face-first into a plane or building, I would be fine. 

I stayed low, not wanting to trigger any technology sensors, and under the sound barrier, even though I could feel that my body could handle it without having to worry about the g-force putting an end to my consciousness. As for casting [Invisibility], at this point, it was habitual. But I also wanted to stay lowkey until I found out where I was in the timeline.

As I moved closer and closer to California, I was comparing the magic I felt here compared to the Potter-verse. It was obviously weaker. With the lack of magical plants and creatures, at least to my knowledge, I wasn't surprised it was so much weaker here. There was also the fact that the government doesn't even let people use magic, so it would be rather difficult to increase your magic if you couldn't even train it.

It ended up taking just under 2 hours to get to my destination while moving at such high speed. I was walking around for a while, mainly heading to the Elf District but also using the time to get some basic information. I didn't hear anything about people chasing a Wand at any point, nor anything about a gang war, which would have most likely been the story used to hide the events of the movie to keep people indoors.

But I did get some information about an Orc starting with the police today. The Orcs didn't seem to like it. They seemed to take it like someone who turned his back on his own people. Actually, no one seemed to like it. It was still early, though, just after lunch. So, I had a few hours before I would be needed. And as for finding them, well, if the wand is as powerful as they say, it won't take long for my senses to pick it up. Either that or I just follow the loud sounds of gunshots and explosions. 

Speaking about Orcs, this reality's version was pretty sturdy. They weren't even close to World of Warcraft Orc sturdy, but they typically had solid, muscular frames with broad shoulders and thick limbs. Their skin was rough, textured and a dusky shade of greyish-green. Two small tusks jutted up from their lips, curving upward from their lower jaw, giving them a slightly feral look, even when they seemed to just be calmly sitting around. It truly gave a new meaning to the phrase 'resting bitch face'.

They lived in what had been termed the Human District, which they obviously shared with humans. It was the rundown part of the city. Gritty, cracked sidewalks and buildings coated in layers of graffiti and grim. I thought the movie might have been exaggerating, but I didn't need the checkpoint to let me know I was in the Elf District.

Clean streets, sleek and modern buildings, luxury stores, and…flamboyantly dressed Elves walking around without a care in the world. The Elves themselves reminded me of the Elves from Lord of the Rings, just in modern clothing and…lacking, in a way I couldn't quite put into words. Tipped ears and typically good looks. They also naturally seemed to have different coloured hair and eyes, though. Some with blue, some green, some with whitish blond like Targaryens, it varied.

Soon enough, I found myself in an Elven University. Using [Observe], I found an intelligent and well-respected Elven professor, knocked him out while he was alone in his office with a quick [Stupefy] and delved into his mind to learn the Elven language. When I was done, I gave the unconscious man [A Firm Handshake] and made my way out, heading back to the hood–I mean, Human District. 

[A Firm Handshake - Activated]

[Elven Physiology - (Bright) 1%]

[Description: The physiology of Elves from the Bright reality, which provides heightened senses, physical capabilities and resilience to a person base characteristics compared to that of humans.]

[+1,000 Lifespan]

[+Hightened senses]

[+High Resilience]

[+High Strength, agility, and reflexes.]

Unlike when I used it to get Parseltongue, [Elven Physiology] wouldn't get an Insta-learn. I concluded it was due to being completely biological, but I would have thought being a Metamorphmagus would have accelerated the process. Unfortunately, that isn't the case. But on the bright side, I'm looking forward to having a base strength of around 3 times that of a human, and without the excess muscle mass to boot.

I thought about using [A Firm Handshake] on an Orc as well, but the idea of having senses so strong you can't spend too much time near a person due to how much you can smell and wished not to didn't sit well with me. Granted, I could always create an Enchantment to mitigate such drawback, but I wasn't about to pick up extra leg work.

Soon enough, I was back in the Human District. Closing my eyes, I focused on extending my [Magic Sense], stretching it over the city for the most powerful magical signature I could feel. Almost immediately, I felt it—potent magical signature pulsating from a few miles away, like a beacon. I had no doubt it was the Wand. With a smirk, I adjusted my cloak's hood and began casually making my way toward the source of the energy. I could have flown, but after spending so much time indoors making [Golems], I wanted to stretch my legs.

I could also feel magical energy from what I assumed was the magical pool used to save the Elf, Tikka, after she used the Wand. It could be that the Wand was too powerful for her to use or that she used it wrong, but with the Brights I had sensed in the city so far, it was most likely to be the former. Brights seem to have a similar magic volume to students barely starting Hogwarts. It was frankly embarrassing.

It was already dark by the time I neared the location. By the time I got there, this world's Will Smith, Daryl, was already standing with his gun drawn, facing down his partner, while the four corrupt officers stood behind them, pressuring Daryl to pull the trigger. Then, without warning, Daryl turned his gun away from his Orc partner and fired at the officers. Like dominos, they fell one by one. Taking wounds to the neck, chest, head, etc.

They really should have just killed him when he was inside.

Even after coming so close to the Wand, which was sitting defenceless in the police cruiser, I continued to let the events play out while invisible and maintaining my control over my magic. Thanks to [Muffle], I didn't have to worry about Elf and Orc-enhanced senses while I stalked them either.

So, I flew over the police cruiser as they fled the scene when some human gang members arrived to steal the wand, stayed in the air as they tried to escape on foot when the Wand's [Binding] spell activated, damaging the vehicle preventing them from getting too far from its owner.

Watching a gang member blow themselves up due to magical overload was not pretty, though. The Wand seemed to force magic into their system to connect to the body's innate magic, then decided to keep going anyway, disregarding whether the body could handle it.

Soon enough, Jakoby, the Orc policeman, got shot and Tikka revived him using an Elven [Revive] spell. A spell that I could not use. It used a rather large amount of magic to pull off, more than even Dumbledore had, provided he wasn't using the Elder Wand to cheat his way to succeeding.

[Wand (Bright) - Magical item]

[Description: A magical wand enchanted to store large amounts of ambient magic for the use of magic users if their bodies can handle it. Non-magic users who wield the Wand may be subject to combustion due to a lack of innate magic in their bodies.]

[+Binding Enchantment.] [+Magic Storage.] [+Unstable]

Delving into the Elf's mind—something I should have done earlier along with her sister when she was delivering them an ass-whoopin' to get the wand back— I was able to get a few more spells they used. There were only a few more spells there, nowhere near as useful, but I would be getting my hands on her sister soon.

Then again, I could always use the [Resurrection Stone] to get all the knowledge I need from the Dark Lord himself. That, along with the more modern knowledge I get from Tikka's sister, will conclude my time here. 

After the Orc's revival, they made their way to the safe house I first saw them at when Daryl killed the corrupt cops, heading for the magic pool underneath it.

Show time.

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"Death can have me when it earns me."

—Kratos, God Of War.

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Autor Here

Spell obtained: Revive

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