Chapter 61: 4 Rings to Rule Them All (2)

The Room of Requirement shifted once more, the forge melting away and reshaping into a quiet study filled with bookshelves, enchanted tools, and parchment stacked high with arcane notes. 

The scent of old parchment and polished wood mingled with faint traces of ember and molten silver.

The four of them, Nero, Ember, Lilith, and Alaric, gathered around a sturdy wooden table, the newly forged rings resting at its center. 

Their surface gleamed under the flickering candlelight, waiting to be infused with the magic that would bind them together.

Nero traced his fingers over the pages of an old tome, the golden script shifting and rearranging as he flipped through it. "Quantum Thaumaturgic Entanglement… this should do the trick," he murmured, eyes scanning the text.

Ember raised an eyebrow. "You made that up, didn't you?"

Nero smirked. "Nope. It's an actual theory in advanced magical bindings. The idea is that enchanted objects can be linked across distances by synchronizing their magical resonance. If done correctly, this enchantment should allow us to communicate through the rings instantaneously, regardless of where we are within Hogwarts."

"So, a magical group chat," Ember said, leaning back. "Nice. Just tell me there's an option to mute you."

"Sadly, no," Nero replied, completely deadpan. "You're stuck with my brilliance."

Nero drew his wand, focusing on the first ring. With a steady breath, he murmured, "Coniungo Animos".

A soft, silvery glow unfurled from his wand, wrapping around the ring like mist before sinking into the metal. The glow pulsed briefly before fading. 

He repeated the process for Ember's ring.

Ember picked up her ring, inspecting it. "Only one way to find out if it worked." She held it close to her lips and whispered, "Testing, testing. Can you hear me, oh wise and powerful leader?"

Her voice echoed inside Nero's mind, clear as if she were speaking right beside him.

His eyes widened. "It worked!"

Nero repeated the enchantment for Alaric and Lilith's rings, murmuring, "Coniungo Animos." 

As he finished, he heard Ember muttering about how she hoped this wouldn't let Nero read minds.

"I heard that," Nero said dryly.

Ember winced. "...Oops."

Lilith scrutinized the runes etched into the rings. "We need to modify the spell. Right now, it's working one-to-one. But if we want to talk as a group, the spell needs to be multi-directional."

Nero nodded and adjusted the incantation, murmuring, "Coniungo Animos Multiplicis". The energy flowed differently this time, branching out like veins of light connecting each ring.

This time, when they tested it, the voices were shared among all four of them, like a mental group chat.

"This is amazing," Alaric admitted. "It's like an instant messaging spell, but without the need for parchment."

"I'm going to regret this, aren't I?" Nero muttered.

Ember smirked. "Immensely."

Alaric frowned, rubbing his chin. "There's still the issue of activation. If these rings are always active, we'll constantly hear each other's thoughts. We need a way to turn them on and off."

Lilith nodded. "Maybe a trigger mechanism? Something subtle, so we don't have to wave our wands every time we want to talk."

They experimented with different activation methods: spoken commands, wand movements, even specific gestures, before settling on a simple solution:

Tapping the ring once = Activate communication.

Tapping the ring twice = Deactivate.

To prevent eavesdropping, Nero layered an Obfuscation Charm over the rings: "Silens Vocis Secreta" . 

The spell ensured that only those wearing the enchanted rings could hear the messages.

Even if a professor used magical detection, the rings would appear as nothing more than ordinary jewelry.

As the final layer of enchantments settled onto the rings, a brief pulse of magic rippled through the air, subtle yet undeniably powerful. 

The moment the spell took hold, Ember let out a low whistle.

"Alright, I have to say it," she muttered, flipping the ring between her fingers. "This is insane. That level of precision, most wizards wouldn't be able to enchant something this refined even after years of study."

Alaric added, his gaze narrowing on Nero. "You're not just talented, you're operating at a completely different level. The way you modify spells, layer protections, and integrate different magical properties… it's almost unnatural."

Lilith leaned back against the table, arms crossed. "I knew you were ahead of us, but this? I thought spellcraft at this complexity would take years to master. You're telling me you can weave enchantments like this as if it's casual practice?"

Nero smirked, leaning back lazily. "Have you forgotten? I'm a bookworm, and I had a head start compared to you guys. Also, I actually enjoy spending hours buried in magical theory." His tone was teasing, but there was an undeniable confidence beneath it. 

"To be fair, at my current level, I wouldn't have been able to make the enchantments so stable the first time, without the perfect vessels Ember crafted."

Ember rolled her eyes. "Bookworm my ass. This is beyond theory, this is mastery."

Nero chuckled. "Well, with the exception of spells that rely heavily on intent, I have pretty much mastered all standard spells. The main things holding me back now are my magical reserve density, which should naturally increase with age, and my lack of real-world experience."

Alaric let out a slow breath. "So, you're saying you understand almost all spells… and the only reason you're not on the level of a battle-hardened sorcerer is because your magic reserves and combat instincts haven't caught up yet?"

"Yes," Nero confirmed. "But here's the real advantage: because I understand spells so comprehensively, I can deconstruct and rebuild them. I am customizing each spell to my preference, and I also started creating new spells, basic ones for now."

Lilith shook her head in disbelief. "I hate to say it, but if you ever turn dark, we're screwed."

Ember smirked. "Correction, everyone else is screwed. We'll be fine, right?"

Nero laughed. "Depends. Just don't get in my way."

For a moment, there was silence, then all three of them groaned in unison, pelting him with their parchment.

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