The things within the Misty Illusion Realm can actually be brought out!
Ian seemed to have discovered another incredible secret.
It makes sense when you think about it.
Since he could bring candies, chocolates, and such into the Misty Illusion Realm, bringing things out from the Misty Illusion Realm doesn't seem like something to make a great fuss about.
"Truly a world of fantasy."
Looking at the fragment of the garment in his hand, Ian couldn't help but express his wonder.
No wonder it's called an idealistic world.
This world has too many mysteries yet to be discovered by anyone.
If it weren't for Ian's fortunate ability, who knows how many more years it would have taken for the living in the present world to touch upon matters related to the Misty Illusion Realm.
The living must halt.
Only the dead can enter.
Even if Ian were to share his discoveries with other wizards or scholars studying the Misty Illusion Realm, they definitely wouldn't possess the ability to verify these findings.
For most wizards.
Everything in the Misty Illusion Realm is an adventure only to be accessed after death.
Because of this.
About the Misty Illusion Realm.
Even the greatest wizards in the world know very little.
As a realm only ghosts can tread, Ian's ability to bring back clothing from the ghosts couldn't help but make him reassess his views on the Misty Illusion Realm.
"It's more than just a pure Netherworld Pure Land..."
Logically speaking.
Ghosts are merely a form of energy.
Yet the fragment of the garment in his hand felt as real as could be.
The boundary between illusion and reality clearly became blurred, and Ian could only use his memory to guess that such a gift to the "living world" might not be so easily accomplished?
He noticed.
Teacher Mara had specifically torn a piece of her garment from her body, even though with her skill, anything around her could easily be transformed into deceptively real parchment.
However.
The fact that she needed to tear off her beautiful, appropriate garment... does this imply that it's only through such means that Ian can bring it from the Misty Illusion Realm to the living world?
"Very possible!"
Ian looked at his other hand, remembering that before his figure disappeared in the Misty Illusion Realm, he was holding a wand that Teacher Mara had transformed from a metal frame.
However.
That wand wasn't brought out. Much like the experiments Ian conducted earlier on the plants and flowers from the Misty Illusion Realm when he first gained this ability.
Originally, Ian thought that since they were things of the dead's world, it was normal that flowers from within couldn't be brought back to the living world. He always thought the Misty Illusion Realm was merely a world purely composed of "energy."
But now, that understanding was negated. The garment fragment in his hand, which even felt slightly warm, forced Ian to reassess his understanding of the Misty Illusion Realm.
Even if bringing things out from the Misty Illusion Realm might require satisfying certain conditions or rules, it fundamentally indicates that the boundary between life and death isn't impassable. If the clothing of the dead can break through this boundary, does it also mean... the dead themselves could return to the living world?
"Ah~ such a bold idea!"
The more Ian thought about it, the more his heart pounded.
This is absolutely a topic filled with taboos.
However.
If there really was a way to bring the dead back to the world, then, setting aside issues of ethics and other complexities, it would surely be an achievement that would earn him a place in history!
On a Chocolate Frog card, his great deeds might even be recorded!
"Fame and fortune are secondary. If I could find Lily Potter's soul and bring it back to this world, wouldn't Harry Potter give me all the galleons in his vault?"
"With Lily Potter cheering him on, why bother with traditional Harry Potter leveling and monster hunting, just skip straight to Snape's rampage against Voldemort!"
Such thoughts might just be Ian's childish wild imagination.
However.
Who can truly clarify it?
This world has a rule: that love is the most powerful magic... and love at its deepest, the kind shown by the devoted, isn't that also a form of love's expression?
"There's something to this! There's something to this!"
The more Ian thought about it, the more he felt this was a direction worth investing his effort in researching.
Perhaps.
The next time he enters the Misty Illusion Realm.
He can consult Teacher Mara, who undoubtedly possesses much profound knowledge, on this matter — though this witch in the castle doesn't seem like a good person, she's genuinely teaching Ian magic knowledge. Whatever her purpose, Ian has become her apprentice.
Whether this mentor-mentee relationship will be good or bad in the future.
No one can know.
At least at this moment, having someone to clarify doubts and pass on knowledge couldn't be a bad thing for Ian.
"The mirror that Teacher Mara wants, I wonder if it's the magic mirror in the school." Ian hadn't forgotten that during their first meeting, the witch had made a request of him. Although she accepted him as an apprentice despite not having received the mirror, he could tell the witch cared about that mirror.
With requests.
There should naturally be returns.
This is Ian's principle in dealing with people.
No one inherently owes him anything or needs to give to him unconditionally... even the bag of gold coins Snape left behind, and the galleons used to purchase books and necessities, Ian considers as borrowed from Snape; he neither likes nor indulges in the feeling of taking advantage of others.
"Perhaps finding the magic mirror and bringing it to Teacher Mara, she'd be so pleased that she'd teach me the other two Unforgivable Curses."
Anyway, he's already learned the Killing Curse.
Azkaban is already set in his plans.
Ian feels it's a bit of a loss not to complete the full set.
It's like playing Genshin Impact.
You always want to collect all the character cards.
The Chocolate Frogs sell so well because they tap into a similar kind of compulsive mentality that Ian remembers from the mage card collection promotions.
"This homework assignment shouldn't be some dark magic." Having sorted out some speculations about the Misty Illusion Realm, Ian finally turned his gaze back to the garment fragment.
The moonlight outside was bright.
But it couldn't illuminate the dull words on the garment fragment.
"Fluorescent Flickering!"
Ian took out his elder wand, successfully casting a spell to illuminate the surrounding environment and gaining three skill points for the Lighting Spell in the process.
"I've learned new magic!"
Ian, feeling excited, brought the light source closer to the garment fragment.
The next moment.
He was dumbfounded.
He saw.
The words etched in some unknown method on the garment fragment, crooked, twisting, bizarre, formed a text he couldn't understand.
"Ancient script?"
Ian felt something was off.
He'd seen an introduction about this kind of script somewhere.
"Textbook!"
Ian's mind lit up.
He sprang up from the bed, rushing to the place where he kept various textbooks and miscellaneous items, and pulled out one of his textbooks from a pile.
"Magic Theory," by Adelbert Wolfing.
Flipping through the pages from memory, Ian quickly stopped at the introduction of the origin of magic, finding what he was looking for in the introduction to ancient magic runes.
Equally crooked, twisting, bizarre letters.
"These are Ancient Magic Runes!"
Looking at the textbook, which only lightly touched upon the knowledge as it was a first-year book, Ian finally understood the witch's so-called homework assignment.
It wasn't simply about learning magic.
It also required learning the ancient magic runes that recorded this new magic.
Indeed.
Magic recorded in runes might be secondary.
These twisting runes were the real homework!