Chapter Eighty-Four: The First Success of Combined Spellcasting

The combination of the Shield Charm and the Ring of Raggedor appeared anything but remarkable—in fact, it felt oddly awkward, as though something didn’t quite fit.

“It’s like you just put two different shields together for no reason,” Helena offered her assessment.

The young wizard, Siwin, silently lowered his head to glance at the two shields. Their colors and sizes differed, and apart from both being circular, they shared little in common.

“So, does that mean it failed?” Siwin asked after a moment’s silence.

“Yes,” Helena nodded, then offered comfort. “It’s perfectly normal for the first attempt to fail. Try a few more times and you’ll get it for sure!”

“Why do you sound like you’re talking to a child…” Ghost Siwin remarked with a wry smile.

“Oh, I forgot! Looking at your first-year body, I just can’t help but find you adorable.” Helena’s eyes curved like crescent moons.

As she spoke, she tried to rest her hand on Siwin’s head, meaning to give it a gentle ruffle.

Of course, she couldn’t actually touch the young wizard; her motion only brought a chilly sensation to his scalp.

Siwin shivered.

“All right, enough fooling around. Let’s try again!” Helena said cheerfully, amused by Siwin’s shudder.

With a helpless purse of his lips, Siwin once again attempted to cast the Shield Charm and the Ring of Raggedor simultaneously. This time, he did his best to release both shields at once, forming them in the same spot.

He stared at the shield before him—a ring of golden, intricate patterns encircled by a transparent barrier—and fell into thought.

“This one’s a little better-looking, at least?” Helena commented. “It’s like you just added a new layer to a shield, forcefully making it bigger.”

“But if that’s all, it doesn’t really help me. Either the Ring of Raggedor or the Shield Charm can be resized at will,” Ghost Siwin replied.

He crossed his hands, and in a flash, summoned two massive golden rings at his sides.

“Like this!”

“Hmm, I think you’re going about this the wrong way…” Helena furrowed her lovely brows, pondering. “What you’re doing now isn’t really combining spells—it’s more like redundantly layering two similar effects.”

“That’s true.” Both Siwins dispelled their magic and began to consider the problem.

“Maybe try summarizing what you know about these spells?” Helena suggested. “Understanding a spell’s effect and state is really helpful for combining them.”

Siwin nodded and reflected quietly on his understanding of the two spells.

The Ring of Raggedor was a basic spell from Kamar-Taj, used as a shield or as the foundation for many other spells. It boasted excellent channeling and magical communication abilities.

The Shield Charm was even more basic and simple; it merely conjured a transparent barrier for protection. Yet, its strength lay in its flexibility—it could take any shape or size.

One spell excelled at channeling, the other at adaptability—surely, there was potential here!

Siwin wasted no time acting on his idea. First, he summoned a Ring of Raggedor with his wand and set it spinning around the tip. Then, casting through the ring, he successfully released a Shield Charm.

As the Shield Charm manifested, its magic drew the golden ring forward—the two spells seemed on the verge of merging!

And then—

The fusion spell exploded.

Ghost Siwin acted quickly, conjuring a giant Ring of Raggedor to shield the young Siwin from the blast. He ended up merely covered in soot, unharmed.

“Are you all right?” Helena hurried over, her voice full of concern.

“I’m fine!” Siwin, undaunted by the explosion, was in high spirits. “I think I’ve figured it out!”

“Reparo.”

With a repairing spell, he restored the tattered carpet to its original state and began his second attempt.

The steps were the same: summon the Ring of Raggedor, then cast the Shield Charm.

“Protego!”

As Siwin spoke the incantation, the transparent charm and the golden ring instantly intertwined.

This time, he devoted extra attention to balancing and stabilizing the magical energies, striving to fuse the two defensive spells.

Gradually, the Shield Charm’s transparent barrier took on the golden hue of the Ring of Raggedor, while the latter’s outline faded, merging with the shield.

At last, a shield of pale gold appeared before Siwin and Helena!

It was like a great shield, shimmering with translucent gold, densely inscribed with intricate patterns identical to those on the Ring of Raggedor.

“What a beautiful shield!” Helena admired the pale golden shield with a delighted smile.

Siwin, too, broke into a genuine smile and began explaining its principles and purpose to Helena.

“I combined the channeling power of the Ring of Raggedor and the adaptability of the Shield Charm. By using the ring to drive the Shield Charm and maintaining the balance between the two forces, I fused them into one.”

“Now this shield possesses both the strong defense of the Ring of Raggedor and the flexibility of the Shield Charm—perhaps even surpassing them.”

As he spoke, Siwin willed the pale golden shield to change shape. It transformed from a circle to a rectangle, then wrapped itself into a sphere, enclosing the young wizard within.

“If needed, I can even mold it,” Siwin thought with sudden inspiration.

He closed his eyes and felt the magic around him move at his command—just like his first Transfiguration lesson.

He tried shaping the pale golden shield with greater finesse. It was like sculpting clay, only instead of two hands, his magic became countless hands shaping every part of the shield at once.

He opened his eyes and looked down at his hands. Now, both arms were encased in pale golden gauntlets, adorned with beautiful golden patterns.

From Ghost Siwin’s vantage, he saw the young wizard clad head to toe in a suit of pale golden armor, giving even a first-year student an air of gallantry.

“Amazing!” Helena exclaimed, her eyes wide as she circled around the young Siwin, inspecting him from every angle.

She looked excitedly at Siwin. “Give this spell a new name!”

Siwin thought for a moment, then grinned mischievously.

“How about Mark I?”

…

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