Before this moment arrived, she had of course imagined that Ian might use some kind of ancient magic to send her into the Netherworld, and had also speculated that Ian might possess some mysterious alchemical creation that could communicate with the world after death.
However.
Even in Helena Ravenclaw's boldest guesses, which she considered somewhat fanciful, she had never imagined that Ian's methods would be so exaggerated and bizarre!
A living person!
Accompanied by a ghost!
Just so simply crossing the boundary of life and death?
Such a defying scenario could never appear in even the most ridiculous biographical stories! It was not magic, not a ritual, but a kind of power that Helena Ravenclaw could not comprehend!
"What you are showing is a miracle!"
Helena Ravenclaw had a deeply complex feeling, combining excitement and nervousness, along with an overwhelming sense of shock and uncertainty when she looked at Ian.
"My Transformation Class professor told me, a wizard is like a deity."
Ian wiped the sweat from his forehead.
Having traversed this world for over ten years, he had never tried to bring someone across the boundary between life and death. He hadn't expected that such an action would make him feel as fatigued as high-intensity casting.
Fortunately, he ultimately did not fail.
Yet, there were things beyond his expectations—he didn't end up in the town, nor at Teacher Morgan's castle, not even on Lady Ravenclaw's isle.
This was a completely unfamiliar area, and he was sweating not because of severe physical exhaustion, but because the place he and Helena Ravenclaw arrived at made him somewhat anxiously overheated.
With magma flowing like rivers and volcanoes standing like mountain ranges in the distance, how could such an environment not be hot? Unlike souls, Ian was definitely more sensitive to the temperature.
"I've never understood the saying that wizards are deities in this context..." Helena Ravenclaw indeed didn't feel the heat; she was just incredibly bewildered by Ian's response and feedback.
Through the ages, the notion that a wizard is a deity has been widely circulated.
Yet.
Any wizard should recognize it as a metaphor, a rhetorical device, a way for wizards to praise magic. No wizard truly believes a wizard is a deity.
It's simply about raising one's status a notch and simultaneously explaining the wonders of magic. It's been like this for many years, so why does a believer suddenly appear now?
Oh, is this a little wizard around ten years old? That seems reasonable... However, reason aside, how can one who takes the saying literally actually achieve something only deities can?!
Really?
Be reasonable?
Magic is indeed extraordinary!
But not to this extent!
"I know this is unusual, but with all kinds of bloodlines developed by wizards over the years, you should be aware that the Dumbledore family can summon a Phoenix."
Ian felt uncomfortable being stared at by Helena Ravenclaw and quickly tried to amend and explain, but it did not persuade the lady; instead, it made her look at him with an increasingly peculiar gaze.
"This is not about bloodlines, child."
Helena Ravenclaw may not be as learned and wise as her mother, but she is undeniably a knowledgeable person from an era of even crazier magical research.
"This is an authority wizards shouldn't reach for... It indicates that you must have caught the attention of the deities of this place." Helena Ravenclaw slightly bowed to Ian.
This is the most reasonable explanation she could think of.
"Perhaps."
Ian nodded, not refuting it. He had always suspected something of this nature. Why could he traverse the two realms? The lady's mother had once said he made his home here, which might be during the initial dazed time after crossing over, he was trapped in the Misty Illusion Realm and did not reincarnate.
The years and timeline have become blurred.
The time was definitely not short.
Becoming a privileged "official" isn't impossible; being reincarnated as a wizard with memories might be due to pulling some strings with "leadership." In Harry Potter's world, gods do indeed exist, and the Hogwarts Divination Class professor's family once served the Sun God.
Of course.
It might also be just some ancient folks bragging. Yet, given that the Misty Illusion Realm and deeper Netherworld exist, such places must have a manager for proper function.
"I don't think this is the time for us to ponder this question. Honestly, I'm unsure how to take you to find your mother, as this place is different from anywhere I've visited before." Ian wanted to pull out his magic wand, only to realize he couldn't bring it in here and just kept wiping his sweat with his hand.
It's truly hot.
The monumental volcanoes rose into the sky like the angry eyes of ancient deities, sporadically spewing flames of dark red and gold, with magma curdling at the edges of the craters, as if the restless heart of Hell was beating.
Each eruption of magma was accompanied by deafening roars and the scorching waves that made the space feel like a furnace.
"Places you've visited before? Do you come often?" Helena Ravenclaw wasn't worried about getting lost; instead, she focused on the terrifying details in Ian's words.
"From childhood to now, I've been forced to come here occasionally; it's beyond my control. However, I have now learned to enjoy this uniqueness." Ian, looking helplessly at the distant volcano, had nothing to hide from a spirit who had already stepped into the World of the Dead.