The next morning, Shar Ryderos lay in his fluffy bedding, dreaming of the moment he first arrived in this world.
At that time, he was like a lost traveler, wandering aimlessly and at a loss in the vast sea of people.
He wanted to talk to someone, but no one answered when he called, and he couldn't touch anyone when he reached out.
He was like a spectator watching a 3D movie, out of place in this world.
Just as he was about to despair, a golden light suddenly appeared in his vision.
The golden light was dazzling, as if it were a signal from another world, guiding him forward. Shar Ryderos instinctively chased it, eventually arriving at a manor enveloped in a golden barrier.
There, a pregnant woman was gently stroking her swollen belly, a tender smile on her face.
The next second, the golden light abruptly converged, and he felt his body being pulled towards the woman by an irresistible force.
When he opened his eyes again, he found himself wrapped in swaddling clothes, the woman's tearful smiling face reflected in his pupils.
He knew he had been reborn; he had become a part of this world.
He was Shar Ryderos.
“It's time to get up, young master.”
A crisp voice echoed in the bedroom, originating from the bronze hourglass on the bedside table.
The golden sand that had been slowly flowing inside transformed into a vivid lark, continuously emitting gentle calls, waking Shar Ryderos from his dream.
He groggily opened his eyes, only to see the lark diligently tapping “thump, thump, thump” on the inner glass wall of the hourglass with its beak. Only after confirming that Shar Ryderos was awake did the diligent little bird contentedly stretch its wings, its body scattering back into sand and returning to the bottom of the bottle.
“No matter how many times I see it, it still feels magical.”
Shar Ryderos stared at the hourglass for a while, then flipped out of bed. His pajamas slid down his shoulders, but just before touching the carpet, they were lifted by an invisible current of air and gently settled back in place.
The wardrobe door opened silently, and homewear floated out, dressing itself neatly. Last night’s cloak also silently draped over Shar Ryderos’ back.
He opened his mouth, and water elements obediently gathered, completing his ablutions.
Shar Ryderos stood before the mirror, carefully examining his reflection: neat brown messy hair, a tall and straight figure, the eleven-year-old boy already one meter seventy tall. The light dancing in his golden pupils slightly revealed the wildness in his bones.
“Does awakening also come with a beauty filter?” He nodded with satisfaction.
As he descended the spiral staircase adorned with ancestral portraits, the sweet aroma of honey cauldron cake wafted towards him.
Reno Leddros sat at the end of the long table, his fingertips lightly tapping The Daily Prophet. Flames spread at his touch, burning a charred hole in a corner of the newspaper.
“...The Ministry of Magic is getting worse with each term.” He snorted, but the displeasure in his eyes instantly vanished when he looked up and caught sight of Shar Ryderos.
“Good morning, my little elemental prince!” Before his father could speak, his mother Isabelle playfully winked at him.
“Last night, your grandfather was so happy he drank all the Firewhisky from the liquor cabinet. Now he's still hugging the ancestral statue and talking nonsense.”
Shar Ryderos’ mouth twitched: “...Drinking that much, does he really not need to go to St. Mungo's?”
“If he went to St. Mungo's, he might make more people drunk.” Isabelle covered her mouth and chuckled softly.
Shar Ryderos thought of his grandfather's generous personality and nodded in agreement.
He cut open the cauldron cake on his plate, and chocolate filling instantly gushed out, its cloying sweetness making his nose wrinkle slightly. Despite this, he dutifully put it in his mouth; if he didn't finish the food his mother made, he would be scolded.
Just as Shar Ryderos finished eating with a frown and was about to get up, his father's deep voice sounded again.
“Shar Ryderos, you have now awakened and become a ‘Child of Nature,’ a rare talent in our family for a hundred years. Your mother and I are both proud of you.”
“Dad, you said those sentimental words countless times last night.” Shar Ryderos rubbed his forehead helplessly.
He even remembered how his father, when drunk, would drag every relative to show off, and even the Bowtruckle in the garden was forced to listen to his “genius son theory.”
“Alright, let's talk business now.” Reno cleared his throat and pulled out an ancient parchment scroll from his embrace. The moment it opened, the runes flowing on the paper immediately detached from the surface, weaving into a dynamic scene in the air.
“It's time for you to truly understand the Lederos Family.”
In the scene, an ancestor in a silver robe stood amidst raging seas. The surging waves were tamed the moment his fingertips touched them, parting obediently like domesticated beasts.
“We are not ordinary Wizards, Shar Ryderos.”
“We are not ‘spellcasters’; we are part of nature. Just as the wind doesn't need to learn how to blow, and streams don't need to recite spells to flow, the elements are already engraved in our bloodline.”
As the words fell, the scene abruptly shifted.
On a battlefield during King Arthur's time, the first patriarch closed his eyes in contemplation. A towering wave surged from the sea, crashing violently against the Viking fleet, instantly shattering the warships with its immense power.
“Then is grandfather's spatial magic also an awakened power?” Shar Ryderos asked softly, his gaze following the flickering images.
Reno shook his head and said sternly, “No, your grandfather only awakened the fire element. His talent in elemental awakening was, one might say, ordinary. But he spent thirty years deconstructing and analyzing the ‘Apparition Charm,’ eventually creating his unique spatial magic.”
“The first person to create Apparition magic was called a genius, and father, who invented a spatial magic that combines offense and defense, was called a ‘Reconstructor of Rules’.”
His finger lightly traced the parchment, unfolding another memory. Seraphiel was invited to attend a Wizengamot meeting, and a black crack suddenly appeared in space. He simply walked out, ignoring the protective magic of the venue under everyone's watchful eyes.
In the image, the attending Wizards all looked very kind, constantly getting up to greet him, and grandfather responded with hearty laughter.
The screen went black, and the runes returned to the parchment.
Reno suddenly pressed Shar Ryderos’ shoulder, “Son, although we can all manipulate natural elements, there's a big difference between us.”
A fire rune appeared in Reno's palm. This was a script never before recorded in the world, a knowledge unique to the Lederos Family.
The rune burned in the air for two seconds before turning into a raging fire; Shar Ryderos merely blinked, and it began to rain outside.
“That's why you're called a ‘Child of Nature’; your control over the elements is simply whatever you wish.”
Shar Ryderos looked at the burning rune in Reno's hand and then recalled the wandless spellcasting of Wizards in movies he had seen before, feeling somewhat confused: “Dad, I don't see the advantage of our elemental magic compared to ordinary magic.”
Reno and Isabelle exchanged glances.
“Incendio!” Isabelle waved her wand without warning, and a fierce wave of fire rushed towards Reno.
But the moment the flames touched his clothes, they became as docile as a gentle cat, not even singeing a single strand of hair.
Reno elegantly adjusted his cuff in the flames: “See? As long as you awaken the corresponding element, the corresponding magic is ineffective against us.”
“Moreover, as you grow older, the power of the elements will become more and more integrated with your body, greatly enhancing your physical fitness. For example, a Diffindo spell hitting me would feel like being whipped, rather than being cut into several pieces.”
“What about Dark Arts? Like Fiendfyre?”
“Fiendfyre has limited impact on me, but it can hurt me, or more accurately, scald me, like hot water splashing on you. There are very strong negative emotions in Dark Arts, and these emotions, mixed into magic, make the magic evil.”
“Dad, if I want to awaken other elements... how do I do it?”
“You need to return to the awakening platform, with the corresponding elemental Potion. There's only one chance; if you fail, you won't have a connection with that element.”
Reno pulled a blood-colored chip from a secret compartment in his waist watch, and the projected image made Shar Ryderos' breath catch.
An ancestor lay in a transparent ice coffin, frost spreading from his fingertips to his heart, freezing him forever at the moment of awakening.
Reno put the chip back into his watch and waved to Shar Ryderos: “When you go to school, I’ll give you one too, this chip as well. Remember one thing firmly: nature doesn't give without reason; there's a risk of failure.”
Isabelle deftly broke the heavy atmosphere: “Not all failures are death. According to records, this ancestor could have become a Child of Nature if he had awakened one more element, so he became greedy.”
“When your father tried to awaken the wind element back then, he blew himself into the sky. That's nature rejecting him; as long as you stop in time, there's no danger.”
“Isabelle!” Reno's ears were a little red, and she smiled as she summoned two gift boxes.
In the silver gift box, a mithril ring shimmered with the unique luster of metal. A miniature protective spell array was sealed within the fire opal on the ring face; the other gift box contained a purple pouch, and within the Undetectable Extension Charm space, hundreds of Potions were neatly arranged on various shelves.
“Your uncle melted thirty Goblin gold coins to forge this Ring of Oath. Don't take it off even when you shower, unless you want certain people to peek into your brain.”
Reno placed it on Shar Ryderos' left middle finger. The moment the ring touched his skin, the spell array began to slowly rotate.
“And your aunt prepared these Potions for you. Although Lord Voldemort is dead, there might still be people loyal to him, just in case.” Isabelle gently instructed.
Shar Ryderos clutched the pouch, his chest feeling as if it were filled with something warm. Just as he was about to say something, he was interrupted by a tearing sound in the air.
“Knock, knock.”
The House-elf Cody suddenly Apparated, his pointed ears perked up high with nervousness.
“The esteemed Headmaster Dumbledore has arrived! And he brought fire-breathing desserts!”