I, Hogwarts Second Time Around.

Chapter 197 Not just someone else's mother.

The magic left behind by Chiron gradually gathered in Irving.

After he explained the legacy of the gods.

A complex engraving appeared on Irving's wrist.

The clockwork-like design features twelve pillars that converge from the edge of the circle towards the center, eventually intersecting at a single point and twisting into three superimposed rings. Below these rings, countless branches are arranged in a root-like pattern.

It resembles the imprint of an ancient tree taking root here.

"The magical runes created by the ancient wizards of the Balkan Peninsula—if you've ever been exposed to runes, you'll understand their purpose; the two are roughly the same," Teacher Chiron explained slowly.

"It can help you unlock ancient towers; it's both a key and a map."

"I have sensed that someone has destroyed two towers. It seems that there are still wise and far-sighted people in this world."

Teacher Chiron continued.

But his tone became softer and softer, more and more indistinct.

"Finally, is there anything else you'd like to ask?"

He pointed to his gradually transparent body and said with his last gentle words.

"I have a professor whose soul has been devoured by the Dead Ones. How can I save him?" Owen asked hurriedly.

"Deadborn? Oh! Is that the name you gave to the monsters you created? Born of death, indeed, those monsters were all born of death." Chiron's voice became distant, as if he were about to disappear.

"Don't worry, the power of the Outer Gods is not enough to truly affect this world. The souls devoured by the Dead Ones are like storing them in a moving box. They can only deliver the souls they have absorbed to their master by finding the altar. As long as you break the box before that, the souls will naturally return to their bodies."

"How do I break the boxes? They're all immortal; I can't kill them directly." His voice was urgent.

After all, Professor Lu Ping is still lying in the school clinic!

There is no way to save him.

Then there's no point in going back to the past.

"Immortality is merely their facade. Nothing is truly immortal, whether it be a wizard or a 'god'; the pursuit of 'immortality' inevitably leads to tragedy."

"The dead have reached the end of their lives, but their end is not death."

Teacher Chiron's body was so blurred that it was no longer visible.

Only faint sounds could be heard.

He sang in a song-like melody, a cappella the history of the dead and the born.

"Oh—oh—oh—the coffin travels with us."

The destination is too far away, the journey seems endless.

We search for fragments overflowing with the souls of heroes, for the ultimate fate of death.

"Ah! The soul~~~ is like a beautiful song, with a wonderful rhythm, echoing within the cocoon."

Go forth, listen to their music through your soul; when you find their rhythm, the soul within the cocoon will break free and transform into a butterfly. Return to nature.

When the song ends or fades into the air as a murmur.

In an instant, countless stars appeared all around.

Together with the fog, they formed a spectacular galaxy.

Then it drifted away, heading into the distance.

The magnificent Hogwarts Castle vanished along with the starlight.

The spiritual realm has returned to the fields.

Alpine grassland.

Golden Mountain under the Sun.

Wild, vibrant beauty.

"Teacher Chiron!!!"

"What do you mean?!" he roared.

But the wilderness offered no reply.

"Is that all?"

He looked around blankly.

It was only then that Irving realized what was happening.

Whose spirit does this Tianye (天野) ultimately reflect?

The ship is him, the castle is him, but what about the wilderness?

What about the bitter, salty wind blowing from the wilderness?

He turned around and his eyes met his mother's face.

She was still smiling at herself, just as she had been for ten thousand years.

Kyrie Irving adjusts his mindset.

He had a premonition that this might be the last time he would see his mother.

The centaur's spiritual world reveals the love left by his mother, which resides within him, through a flashback spell.

This wilderness is a reflection of her inner world.

And what about him?

He could not possibly find another place like the spiritual realm of the centaurs.

Unless the Resurrection Stone is used, he will never see his mother again.

"I'm so glad to see you."

Gabriel's gentle voice is like the best medicine in the world.

She spoke softly, like gentle light shining on newly sprouted leaves; in the warm afternoon, a kind of enviable, blissful moment was brewing.

"But this time is too short, I really wish—"

Time has brewed wine, with a rich and mellow aroma. It is spicy and bitter when it first enters the throat, and only after a long time does the mellow aroma flow to the tip of the tongue.

But the fragrance was so fleeting, so faint.

It's so irresistible that you want to take a second, a third sip. You're afraid you'll never experience this happiness again.

"."

She lunged forward, kneeling to embrace her child.

They held each other tightly.

"I'm so sorry~" Owen looked up, his gaze revealing an unprecedented gentleness.

Although he had never imagined his mother.

Even at the very beginning of his transmigration, he was somewhat relieved about the orphanage, as if he had breathed a sigh of relief.

After all, he's not a child, and rebuilding a family bond with a stranger isn't an easy task.

But when the winds of the wilderness truly blew into his heart, Owen realized that sometimes feelings are very simple things.

With just two words, the meaning of "mother," she was willing to give everything.

"I'm sorry," he said.

"I'm sorry—you chose me."

"If I could go back in time, I really hope you could have your own life, and be a better version of yourself, instead of just being someone else's mother."

The distant wilderness shimmers with the winds of freedom.

Her story was swept away by the wind, leaving behind a deep shadow.

Blood flowed from the wounds inflicted by the past, dripping onto Owen's body. The pain, however, belonged to the mother.

Gabriel gazed at his child.

Irving's brief yet poignant words struck her deeply.

The winds of time swept across her forehead.

The wind blew her full head of silver hair, making Panpan dance.

For a moment, she stared blankly at the child.

A feeling she had never experienced before—a feeling of liberation, freedom, and unbridled passion—savagely grew within her heart.

—Owen looked at his mother.

As her child, he had no right to say anything.

But Irving still wants to say, if—if time could answer the past.

What he hoped to see was a great wizard sounding the horn of change, whether she wanted to dethrone Dumbledore or become a better Dumbledore.

He hoped to see a great wizard.

And not merely, a footnote to life, but whose mother.

The wind suddenly stopped.

The fields and mountains suddenly transformed into an ink painting, stirred up by someone, with a dazzling array of colors intertwining in the shimmering light and shadow.

A breathtaking and magnificent image unfolded before Irving's eyes without reservation.

In the very end—the flowing light brought a lament.

It is kindness and gentleness.

"The eighth shamanic song I will sing for you: As dusk deepens and darkness descends, you shall have to sleep in the wilderness. If you find a woman's corpse lying exposed in the wild, do not desecrate it; quickly find a way to bury it, for it is the duty of a shaman to let the dead rest in peace."

"The ninth shamanic song I will sing for you: If you are arguing with someone and that strong man draws his sword to show off, you must keep a calm mind and not act impulsively. Be careful with your words and actions. Only you can save yourself."

Goodbye—my dear child—Owen.

The next second, his mental world collapsed instantly.

A myriad of rays of light flowed into Irving's body.

The kindest voices rose and fell in his ears.

Amidst the interplay of light and shadow, the oak bracelet Luna had given him suddenly shone brightly on his wrist.

A cluster of silver light gradually gathered.

Slowly, a small creature leaped out from the silver mist.

That was a rabbit.

The little rabbit hopped and skipped around, occasionally turning back to stand upright and look at Owen, as if it were pointing him in the right direction.

And he followed instinctively.

It was like crawling through a dark, damp cave.

If there is light ahead.

Then a bright light shone forth.

When he came to his senses again.

All light vanished. Darkness returned.

"Wingardium leviosa!"

The lid of the stone coffin was suddenly lifted up by magic.

Then one of the kids who had reappeared stood up straight, looking exactly like a zombie!

"Irving~~~"

Hagrid cried out.

He looked on with delight as Irving came back to life.

Although the child looks a bit strange now, he has come back to life, hasn't he?

"Something's coming." Owen looked up, staring at the distant high wall.

He could sense that something he utterly loathed was rapidly rushing toward him from there.

high speed.

As he thought about it, his face darkened.

His expression was more serious than ever before.

Then, stepping on the edge of the coffin with both feet, he leaped down.

"Ouch~~~"

"Who is it! Are you sick or something? You tore a hole in my robe."

A small, dark-skinned man leaped into the air, stepping through a hole in his robe, and then fell headfirst next to the stone coffin.

Her legs, which were raised, were trembling.

His chin slammed hard against the ground, a sharp pain shooting through him, and a few tears welled up in his eyes.

"Please give my regards to his mother." Owen huffed and puffed as he got up from the ground.

He held his chin and recited a healing spell to himself.

My God! That hurt so much!

It feels like my bones are cracked, doesn't it?

Thankfully, I didn't speak while posing, otherwise I would have bitten my tongue off.

"Owen~" Luna called out in surprise.

Overjoyed, she wept.

Large tears dripped from her silver eyes onto the ground.

She looks so charming and lovely.

"(⊙o⊙)...What's wrong? Why are you so sad?"

My best friend is crying!

The little black-haired man immediately turned his head and glanced at the centaur elder beside him.

Did you cause this?

Ahem—okay!

Of course he knew why she was crying.

But he doesn't have time to waste here right now.

"It's okay! I'm fully recovered." He gave Luna a funny smile, then quickly rolled up his sleeves and ran outside.

—On the other side, on the high wall.

Apart from the horsemen responsible for guarding the area.

Some of their companions remained.

The centaurs were pacing back and forth on the ground, searching for the bodies of their companions.

They wanted to take their companion home.

"Listen~ I think I hear a sound."

Creatures living in the Forbidden Forest all have excellent hearing.

After all, the Forbidden Forest next to Hogwarts is shrouded in mist all year round and is very lush.

The giant trees, which have not been felled on a large scale for thousands of years, block out the sun completely.

Let me put it this way!

Even during the day, Hagrid had to carry a candle into the forest.

"No way—it's that monster coming back again!" another centaur replied, his voice trembling.

"I don't think so!" the centaur who spoke first denied.

The dragon's breath just now was truly spectacular.

No one would believe that the monster that had been driven away would return.

Aren't they afraid of being burned by the flames again?

"Click~"

Another sound came, the sound of a branch being snapped.

The two centaurs trembled.

He turned around in utter terror, looking in the direction from which the sound came.

They were destined to be disappointed.

Because those monsters, who were no longer living beings, did not experience the kind of fear that normal intelligent beings could comprehend.

"Run!"

"Sound the alarm!"

"Quickly! Go and inform the elders!"

"Ah~~~"

"ah!!!"

The two horsemen outside the high wall immediately set off, their four strong legs galloping wildly.

They tilted their heads back and shouted loudly.

They wanted to pass the intelligence to their comrades on the high walls.

However, when they spoke, they also revealed their location.

After a few words.

Then two screams rang out.

A thick, powerful mouthpart, like an arrow, pierced through the air and struck their bodies directly.

Then, like deflated balloons, their bodies rapidly dried out.

In just a few breaths, his once robust body turned into a skeletal mummy.

"Waaaaah~~~"

Witnessing this horrific scene, the centaurs immediately blew their horns.

The deep, melodious sound immediately spread throughout the entire centaur city.

The working centaur looked up at the high wall with a puzzled expression.

The playful centaur children looked up, gazing curiously at the high wall.

The centaur warrior, poised to strike, raised his head, his gaze cautiously fixed on the high wall.

All walks of life.

Each has its own destiny.

All of this was observed by Irving.

He was sitting on Bakal's back at that moment.

It reappeared as a giant dragon several feet long, with enough space to carry five or six people on its back.

God—witnesses the suffering of all beings.

And bestow mercy.

A vision that reveals the soul reveals more than that.

—"The soul is like a beautiful song, with a wondrous rhythm, echoing within the cocoon. Go, listen to their music through the soul. When you find their rhythm, the soul within the cocoon will break free and become a butterfly, returning to nature."

Chiron's words still echoed in Irving's ears.

Through his soul—he was pondering what this meant.

What can be called the soul of a wizard?

Riding on the back of a silver dragon.

Everyone around was staring.

Irving noticed that a lot of bright red liquid was suddenly flowing out of the forest.

It was like a heavy rain, turning the falling snow red.

But the snow! Drifting into the smoke of battle, shedding its pristine whiteness, became tainted with evil.

In that instant, Irving suddenly realized...

What could possibly represent the wizard's soul?

(End of this chapter)