Ryan is doing a bit better, having switched from flickering to strobe mode, and the frequency is getting lower, making it seem like he's close to succeeding.
But it's different for Mikel. The light from his wand is extremely unstable. At its brightest, it's as dazzling as a spotlight, and at its weakest, it's dimmer than a firefly, seeming like it might go out at any moment.
The more this happened, the more anxious he became, and the more anxious he got, the less in control he was, forming a vicious cycle.
"Um, you..."
Kael wanted to help him, but just as he started speaking, he saw Mikel suddenly take a deep breath, then sharply raise the hand holding his wand.
Out of nowhere, a bad premonition surged within Kael, as if something terrible was about to happen.
This feeling came so suddenly that Kael barely had time to think, instinctively turning, lowering his head, and shutting his eyes.
Almost simultaneously, a blinding flash of light, like an exploding Lumos Grenade, instantly engulfed the entire Charm Class classroom.
Although this sudden flash disappeared in a second, its effects were disastrous.
Many young wizards were caught unprepared, their faces plastered with the intense light, and the next second, cries of woe came from all directions. The young wizards were clutching their eyes, screaming, pushing, and trying to escape the place, throwing the classroom into chaos.
Even Professor Flitwick was caught off guard, but being a professor who has weathered many storms, he wasn't as panicked as the young wizards. He braced himself against the discomfort and sharply reassured the crowd.
"It's okay, there's no need to panic, calm down, you'll be able to see again in a while."
Despite Professor Flitwick's efforts, they had little effect, and the classroom remained in complete disarray.
You'd think Voldemort had invaded Hogwarts.
What's more, he was facing the wrong direction the whole time, shouting at the wall with his back to the young wizards.
This made the four wizards in the painting extremely disdainful. Though they were startled too, the painting isn't alive and won't be affected by the aftermath.
So in their view, Flitwick's behavior at this moment was as foolish as a Tebo that got its head hit.
...
At this moment in the Charm Class classroom, the only ones maintaining normalcy were Kael, who avoided the risk early on, and a handful of lucky ones.
But they couldn't do much else, only trying their best to comfort their peers, and help those who fell to prevent a stampede.
It wasn't until a few minutes later that the effects of the flash slowly faded, and the young wizards regained their sight.
"Oh, Merlin's beard, that was a disaster."
Professor Flitwick rubbed his eyes and shakily came down from behind the lectern.
Earlier, he had wanted to come down to calm the young wizards, but because he hadn't noticed the reversed direction, he stepped off and fell instead.
Professor Flitwick was furious.
In his decades of service, he had encountered countless unexpected situations, like a Summoning Charm hitting someone, Levitating Spells bringing in a cow, or an Unlocking Charm causing a lock to explode, and he wasn't surprised at all.
Because these were within his expectations... New students, after all, are not proficient in magic, and some problems are normal.
However, he never thought that something as safe as a Lighting Spell would also have mishaps.
With a blend of anger and expectation, Professor Flitwick led the young wizards right to the culprit.
Mikel lay motionless on the desk. Despite Professor Flitwick calling him several times, he didn't react at all, still lying peacefully there.
Professor Flitwick sensed something was off and hurriedly checked Mikel, quickly coming to a conclusion.
"He's still alive, probably fainted from magic power exhaustion..."
Hearing this, Kael also breathed a sigh of relief.
Here, magic power exhaustion doesn't mean the magic power is completely drained, just lacking energy, similar to an ordinary person staying awake for two days and nights.
...
Professor Flitwick's gaze seemed distant.
Magic power exhaustion? From a Lighting Spell?
In just a few minutes, this was his second time doubting life; he even started questioning whether he had stayed at Hogwarts for too long, becoming somewhat ignorant.
Considering the thousand-year history of the Magic Realm, he had never heard of anyone fainting from casting a Lighting Spell.
"Professor, shall I take him to Madam Pomfrey?"
Seeing Professor Flitwick stunned and silent, Kael suggested cautiously, "He can't just stay there like that; it's better to have him checked."
"Right... He needs to be checked. Take him quickly."
...
With Professor Flitwick's permission, Kael quickly cast a Levitating Spell on Mikel, then led him out of the classroom.
Given Professor Flitwick's character, seeing this would typically earn a bonus, but for now... not losing points is fortunate enough; what more could one ask for?
...
Shortly after leaving the classroom, Kael came across a cat crouched at a corner... not a cat lady, but a real cat, with two unblinking amber eyes staring at him.
"Mrs Norris? That's great."
Kael quickly said, "A young wizard is injured; I need to see Madam Pomfrey, but I don't know the way. Can you help guide me?"
Though Cedric had marked the Hospital Wing on his map, Kael had never been there and wasn't familiar with the exact route.
But this cat was different. It always accompanied Filch and was very familiar with Hogwarts, surely knowing the fastest path there.
If it was willing to help, that would be perfect.
Mrs Norris tilted her head to look at Kael and Mikel floating behind him, stood up silently, and headed towards the stairs to the right.
Is that a yes?
Kael quickly followed.
So the two humans and one cat weaved through various staircases, taking a shortcut through a passageway hidden behind a statue, and soon arrived at a courtyard outside the auditorium.
This place had a huge grandfather clock, thus called the Pendulum Courtyard.
When Kael arrived, Mrs Norris was crouching beside the clock, using her tail to point at the stairs behind her, indicating he should go up.
"Thank you, I'll bring you some fish snacks."
Kael reached out, trying to rub Mrs Norris's head, but she deftly dodged it.
Mrs Norris folded her ears back, glared at Kael with a warning look, then turned and disappeared quickly.
"Heh, what a tsundere."
Kael sighed, feeling helpless, and retracted his hand, then took Mikel up the stairs.
As long as he kept going straight up from here, he would reach the Hospital Wing, and this staircase was fixed, so there was no worry of it shifting to another place midway.
...