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"But before that, we need to prepare."
"Sanus Somnus!"
Ivan cast a new spell on Neville that he had developed from the Stupefy charm.
The magic of Sound Sleep could improve the quality of sleep and even set a precise wake-up time, ensuring Neville wouldn't miss breakfast the next morning while having pleasant dreams.
"Alright, now everything's foolproof."
Ivan picked up Yumi and turned the mechanism on the wardrobe handle.
With a crisp "click," the wardrobe—once meant to store clothes—transformed into a door leading to a magical secret realm.
The moment he stepped inside, a system prompt echoed in Ivan's mind.
[Side Quest Unlocked: Magical Secret Realm]
Task Summary: Through the wardrobe, you have entered a magical secret realm created by magic. Explore and uncover the mystery behind the creation of this realm.
Task Reward: Unknown
"Meow~~"
Accompanied by Yuumi's soft meow, Ivan opened his eyes.
He recalled the side quest he had just received and looked at the world beyond the wardrobe.
Before him lay a dense forest, with thick shrubs and towering ancient trees obstructing his view.
Ivan instinctively activated the magic sight he had recently acquired (the ability to see magical auras).
Instantly, the entire forest transformed into a sea of vibrant colors.
The sky above, the soil beneath his feet, and every blade of grass and tree carried strong magical fluctuations.
The sight was so overwhelming that Ivan had to close his magical sight and observe the secret realm through normal vision.
"This side quest requires me to solve the mystery of this secret realm's origin?"
Ivan pushed aside the bushes in front of him, feeling the soil beneath his feet and touching the nearby trees. "Everything feels real—there's no trace of transformation. This is genuine."
Yuumi hopped to the ground, curiously inspecting the surroundings.
Ivan had brought the kitten along for two reasons: one, for the adventure, and two, as a "shield" in case of danger.
Yuumi: ????
Of course, that was a joke.
Ivan had already performed divination before stepping into the wardrobe, and the results showed that both he and Yumi would be back in class safe and sound in a few days.
It was like reading his own fortune before embarking on any venture.
Ivan would never recklessly charge into an unknown world without preparation.
Swish!
As Ivan was thinking, a sudden rustling sound made him tense up.
Almost instinctively, he slipped his wand from his sleeve into his hand and pointed it at the figure that leaped out from the bushes.
"Huh?"
In front of Ivan stood a strange-looking blue bird with a thick, short, curved beak—it resembled a turkey brought back to life.
"A dodo?"
Ivan recognized the bird. It was an extinct species he had learned about in nature class during his previous life.
"Aa?"
At the same time, the "dodo" seemed equally startled by Ivan and Yumi.
Pah!
In the next instant, there was a sharp sound, and the "dodo" vanished in a flash of white light.
"What?"
Ivan was momentarily confused, but quickly pieced it together.
That wasn't a dodo at all—it was a magical creature known as a "Diricawl."
According to Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, the Diricawl is a bird native to Mauritius, also referred to as the "dodo" by Muggles.
Muggles were unaware of the Diricawl's ability to teleport, which led them to mistakenly believe the bird had gone extinct.
"Let's see where we are!"
Ivan wasn't frightened by the sudden appearance of the Diricawl. He swiftly picked up Yuumi and began running in the direction of the bird's magical trace.
Before leaving, Ivan glanced back and noticed an ancient door marking the connection between the wardrobe and the secret realm—the exit from the realm.
Swish!
Ivan cast a marking spell on the door before proceeding confidently.
Hua La~ Hua La La~~
The bushes were constantly being pushed aside as Ivan moved through them, his wand held tightly, ready to respond to any potential danger.
In addition, Ivan reminded himself that he still possessed the power of being an Obscurus.
The terrifying ability, tied to having a magic power of 5, was essentially a form of high-level dark magic. With such power at his disposal, Ivan wasn't too concerned about encountering any serious danger.
Moreover, even if he found himself in a situation where he couldn't win, Ivan could always turn into black mist and escape.
"Aa? Ga?"
"Ga!"
As Ivan made his way through the dense foliage, more Diricawls—ball birds—leapt out of the bushes, making him wonder if he had wandered into their territory.
Soon, the scenery ahead began to open up.
Ivan stopped, gazing out at a golden beach and a lake. The clarity of the world around him was striking, and it felt as though even his soul was being purified.
He looked down and saw the same Diricawls he had encountered earlier, along with many other rare and exotic creatures he didn't recognize.
They were gathered by the water, either drinking or playing, creating a stunning picture of ancient ecology.
"This secret realm is much larger than I thought," Ivan remarked.
Looking into the distance, he saw an unbroken chain of mountains stretching far into the horizon, seemingly without end.
Ivan also noticed birds and other winged creatures soaring through the sky, demonstrating the reality of the vast expanse within this secret realm.
It was hard to imagine what kind of magic could create such a world.
"Is this truly part of the magic of Harry Potter's world? What can it actually achieve?" Ivan wondered.
In his understanding, the upper limit of a wizard's power reached, at best, the level of Dumbledore and Grindelwald. Pushing further back, Merlin was considered the ultimate peak.
"But could Merlin have cast magic on this scale?"
To create a space where so many magical creatures could thrive, complete with a stable food chain and ecosystem, seemed far beyond anything Ivan thought possible.
It was much more complex than Newt Scamander's enchanted suitcase.
"No, I can't think that way," Ivan realized, recognizing a flaw in his reasoning. Ever since he had crossed into this world, it had become a real, living world for him.
And in a real world, the history of wizards must be far more extensive than what is commonly known in the books.
Consider, for instance, the question of who the oldest wizard in history is or where they came from.
According to the historical records Ivan had read, European magic was said to have originated in ancient Egypt.
By that logic, the history of wizards spanned at least 3,000 years, if not longer.
"According to the Harry Potter worldview, Muggle mythology is essentially based on the history of wizards."
For example, the gods of ancient Greece and Egypt, the Norse gods, the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors of the East, as well as Jesus Christ could all be considered "wizards" in this world.
Of course, different cultures and languages might refer to them by various names, but essentially, the powers these individuals possessed were still the same "magic" that Ivan now understood, capable of altering the very rules of the world.
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