[Note: Read up to Chapter - 28 on P patron at: p-atreon.com/Knockturn_Alley]
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[Talent Template: Merlin]
[White Magic: SSS]
[Black Magic: SSS]
[Defence: SS]
[Transfiguration: SSS]
[Potions: SS]
[Alchemy: SS]
[...]
[Special Talents: Shapeshifter, Seer of Celestial Alignments, Wandless Casting, Tongue of Beasts and Trees]
[Innate Comprehensive Ability: SSS Level]
[Evaluation: In the distant past, the great Wizard Merlin was revered as the God of Magic. His magical talent nearly touched the limits of mortal capability—on par with the divine—and he stood firmly at the very pinnacle of the magical world.]
[Note: Magic talent is ranked across ten levels, from highest to lowest—SSS, SS, S, A, B, C, D, E, F, and G. Possessing talent ranked S or above in any field qualifies you to become a master in that discipline.]
Staring at the glowing golden talent card floating before him, Aris's eyes lit up with excitement.
He'd always believed in his own abilities—after all, he had the brains and the drive—but this? This was next level.
Even if he'd been given average magical talent, he reckoned he could've made a name for himself eventually.
But now, the talent card of Merlin—the legendary top dog known as the God of Magic and a household name in the wizarding world—was floating right in front of him.
To say Aris wasn't buzzing with excitement would be a complete lie.
Every single magic-related stat was above S-level, and White Magic and Transfiguration had even hit SSS-level—the absolute ceiling for mortal talent, practically brushing shoulders with the divine!
With talent like that, even a total idiot could sit around doing nothing and still turn into a magical war machine just from the power they'd naturally accumulate over time.
And Aris?
He's not some idiot. He's got a bloody Academic Master System on his side!
Then there were Merlin's special talents, and blimey—those were something else.
According to legend, Merlin could shapeshift into all sorts of animals and have full-on chats with them. He was also a master of prophecy and astrology, the kind who'd guide King Arthur through thick and thin with pinpoint predictions.
No need to sugar-coat it—these talents were straight-up bonkers.
Even among these gems, wandless casting stood out. It might sound basic, but in today's magical world, it was ridiculously rare and a bloody big deal.
Let's face it—most wizards without their wands are about as threatening as Muggles.
From what Aris could recall, only the real top brass—like Dumbledore himself—could pull off wandless magic properly. And even then, the spell's power was usually nerfed.
Just goes to show how powerful that talent really is.
Right now, Aris couldn't even wrap his head around how far he could go with all these insane abilities. Surpassing top wizards like Dumbledore or even both generations of Dark Lords?
At this rate, it was just a matter of time.
"Fuse the Talent Card!" he commanded in his mind.
At his thought, the golden talent card dissolved into radiant light and sank deep into his soul.
A strange, blissful sensation surged through him—so intense it made his very soul shudder.
It felt like he was floating on cloud nine…
…
Inside the room.
Luna's long, waist-length blonde hair—slightly tousled and wild—brushed against Aris's ear as she leaned in, silver eyes curiously examining his face and hair.
She looked every bit the whimsical girl as one might remember her to be—dreamy, delicate, and with a kind of magic to her that had nothing to do with spells.
Even now, she seemed convinced that a boy with such striking silver hair and a face that pretty couldn't possibly be ordinary.
Surely… he had to be special. Different.
And then, as if to answer her thoughts—
A sudden, mysterious power burst from Aris and rippled through the room like a shockwave.
Luna's golden hair fluttered, caught in the breeze of an invisible force. It danced like waves on water.
Then, her entire body slowly lifted off the floor, suspended in midair—weightless under the strange pressure that filled the space.
It wasn't just her—everything in the room that wasn't nailed down had started floating too.
Chairs, tables, books—every last thing had lifted off the floor like gravity had just packed up and left. Slowly, they began to spin around Aris in a quiet orbit, like planets circling a star.
"This is… a magic riot!"
A flash of astonishment crossed little Luna's face.
The fusion of Aris and Merlin's talent card had triggered an intense magical surge, sending ripples of energy through the air.
But Luna didn't notice the danger at all.
No fear, no panic—only excitement sparkled in her silver eyes. Her first thought wasn't about self-preservation—it was something far more innocent:
"He really does have magic! He's not a Muggle like Daddy said!"
Arms outstretched, Luna floated happily in midair, a bright smile lighting up her face. She twirled and spun like a tiny fairy, drifting around the boy on the bed—completely enchanted by the weightless sensation.
She looked like she belonged there—in the air, among the swirling magic.
And then—BANG! BANG! BANG!—hurried footsteps thundered outside.
The door flew open with a crash.
Xenophilius Lovegood stood in the doorway, wide-eyed.
His whole body tensed, and his hand instinctively pulled out his wand, ready to defend his daughter at a moment's notice. His voice came out sharp, panicked:
"Luna! What in Merlin's name have you done?!"
Xeno (short name for Xenophilius) looked at her anxiously, thinking the magical riot in the room was her doing. That was the only explanation that crossed his mind at first, so he didn't react straight away.
"Daddy, it wasn't me!"
Little Luna still wore that cheerful smile, her silver eyes fixed on Aris lying on the bed.
"I told you, this boy isn't ordinary. It's his magic going haywire!"
"Him?"
Xeno's eyes shifted sharply to Aris.
His earlier assumption had clearly come from that overprotective love he had for his daughter—he just couldn't believe it wasn't her.
Now that his head had cleared, he could finally sense it—the magic swelling from Aris was powerful… far too powerful for a child.
"This energy... it's strong. Who is this boy?"
Xeno frowned deeply. Alongside his shock was a creeping sense of unease. Things were starting to feel a bit dicey.
Everything happening right before his eyes made one thing painfully clear—
The boy Luna brought home wasn't some lost Muggle child.
He had wizard blood. That much was obvious.
And not just any wizard blood—his magical presence felt unusually potent.
Everyone in the wizarding world knew:
The strength of a wizard's magical talent was closely tied to their bloodline. That was practically gospel.
Sure, there were the rare oddballs—exceptions here and there—but most of the time?
The stronger the bloodline, the stronger the magic.
Of course, there were always a few exceptions to that rule.
Take Muggle-borns—Mudbloods, as the nastier lot called them—for example.
Still, the sheer scale of this magical surge had Xeno more than a bit on edge. Aris's presence—and the chaos it had just stirred—wasn't something he could ignore.
"Finite Leviosa!"
With a calm flick of his wand, all the floating furniture and objects in the room lost their lift and dropped back to the floor with a soft thud. Even little Luna—who'd been floating around happily and clearly didn't want it to end—was gently caught by her Daddy and set down safely.
"Daddy, can we keep him here as my little brother?"
Her tone was hopeful, innocent.
Sure, Aris's identity was still a mystery, but to Luna, that didn't matter. As long as he had magic like her, then the whole business about the Statute of Secrecy didn't apply—they were the same, and that meant they could play together as much as they liked.
She didn't seem to notice—or simply didn't care—that having a strange boy show up unannounced in their home could bring all sorts of trouble.
Xeno didn't answer straightaway.
His eyes lingered on Aris.
Then, slowly, he walked over to the bed.
"Right then, up you get. I know you're not asleep."
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[Note: Read up to Chapter - 28 on P patron at: p-atreon.com/Knockturn_Alley]