The moment the stone tablet touched his hand, it was ice-cold. In less than two seconds, Sean felt the world twist in front of his eyes.
He instantly guessed this had to be Apparition.
"Please take your seat."
A familiar voice rang out. As the slight dizziness faded, Sean gradually took in his surroundings.
The place was vast and magnificent, surrounded by deep stone walls that shimmered like a starry sky.
At the very front stood a shattered mirror split into twenty-four facets, the largest one nearly five meters tall.
A house-elf bowed low at Sean's feet for a long moment, then gestured toward twenty-four chairs. Each seemed to occupy its own pocket of space. Sean noticed the chairs looked smaller than normal, and a suspicion began to form.
When he stepped closer, his guess was confirmed.
Someone had cast an Undetectable Extension Charm.
So it wasn't just the space taken up by the chairs; it was nearly the size of an alchemist's office, cozy and warm. The central dining table was laden with all kinds of exquisite food. The fireplace roared with flames that were neither too hot nor stuffy. There was even an alchemy workbench right by the seat, complete with over a dozen different carving knives.
Huh, there was even a bed.
Were they planning to nap halfway through the meeting?
Wizards are way too casual.
"Please save your rest for after the conference begins," the house-elf said in a tiny, eager-to-please voice, noticing Sean staring at the bed.
Do wizards actually do that?
Sean realized he still had a lot to learn about wizards.
But after the conference starts?
As if sensing his confusion, the elf continued, "When the conference begins, the multi-faceted mirror will arrange the order and project your current state. The previous occupant of the seventh seat, 'Miracle,' is resting. The one before that is eating, and the one before that, along with another, has, uh, started a—"
The house-elf let out a tiny squeak and clammed up, trembling.
Behind it, the massive mirror rippled. Soon, countless figures appeared on its surfaces.
Sean spotted Headmaster Dumbledore with his long white beard, the stern-faced Professor McGonagall, the cold-eyed Professor Tela, and a tall, elegant witch who was nearly Hagrid's height but radiated both grace and power.
On the largest facet at the top appeared an ancient wizard, frail in body but with eyes that sparkled with life.
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Sean stared at the mirror, a little stunned. Communicating through projected images, this was like an advanced version of a two-way mirror.
Probably a two-way mirror that could connect to dozens of wizards at once. No wonder it was called a multi-faceted mirror.
"Master Nicolas Flamel."
A voice rang out. Sean wasn't sure who was hosting, but he saw Flamel nod. The hall erupted in thunderous applause. Caught off guard, Sean hurried to clap along.
Then it hit him: this was fascinating. If Master Flamel was facing a mirror just like they were, his perspective would show him nodding at everyone in the mirror. And since he was also in the mirror, everyone else could see him nodding back at them.
"The discoverer of the twelve uses of dragon's blood, recipient of the Gold Award, and partner of Nicolas Flamel—Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore."
Headmaster Dumbledore smiled kindly and clapped.
The applause grew even louder.
"The youngest attendee in the history of the International Alchemical Conference, endorsed by Flora Olivia Tela, Albus Dumbledore, and Olympe Maxime—Sean Green."
The host's voice carried a strange note. A strikingly young face appeared in the center facet, calm, deep pale-green eyes gazing out at everyone. He didn't move an inch until the image vanished from the central mirror.
Dead silence. Then whispers broke out.
"Tela—haven't seen her in years. She's got a disciple now? That arrogance, though… a little too much like Tela."
"So this is why she wrote to me for the first time in a decade? What a letdown. I was hoping she'd never find a student till the day she died."
"I'll trust Tela's judgment for now, but a wizard that young, at least he's got potential."
It took Sean a moment to process. For the first time in ages, he felt a twinge of annoyance.
He hadn't expected to be introduced so early. He hadn't even caught the professor's full name…
Think about it: Master Flamel nodding, Dumbledore clapping—
The introductions flew by. According to the house-elf, the whole point was to prevent arrogant alchemists from not even knowing each other's names during the discussions.
The wizards rose from their seats. The house-elf snapped its fingers, and they vanished.
"Come on, my proud little disciple."
Professor Tela walked over with a smile. Under the watchful eyes of the others, she took Sean's hand, making no effort to hide how highly she thought of her student.
"Tela, you wrote to me for this farce? We both know honor matters, but at this conference, it's the least important thing."
A tall, elderly witch with brown skin sighed as if she had no choice. Behind her stood another witch with the same rich skin tone.
"When you were young, caring about honor was fine. But forcing your way into a meaningless title, think about your legacy. We old folks understand, but we won't be around much longer."
A white-haired wizard tried to reason with her.
"Truth doesn't care about trifles."
Professor Tela replied calmly.
All the old friends she'd written to wore the same look: Damn it, she hasn't changed a bit. Should've known.
"Enough said."
The white-haired wizard snapped his own fingers and vanished with his disciple.
"I'm looking forward to talking with the kid."
The brown-skinned witch seemed to sense something. She gave Sean a curious glance, then disappeared too.
"Join, receive the legacy, show your future. That's the order of the conference. Got it, my disciple?"
Professor Tela asked.
She watched Sean think it over, then snapped her fingers. The grand hall vanished from sight.
More precisely, they Apparated somewhere else.
This place was pitch-black, except for a massive tree carved into the stone wall ahead. The trunk and the hollows beneath it glowed with light. Ancient runes were etched above it:
"Four worlds overlap, the fifth element reveals itself."