Tonight, the moon rose unusually early.
As the moonlight climbed to its highest point and bathed Lewis's body, he drank the Permanent Owl's Wisdom Elixir brewed from the feather of a feathered serpent.
Having already undergone one ritual before, the transformation this time was far less painful.
Very quickly, Lewis transformed into a feathered serpent nearly eighteen feet long, with a wingspan of around fifteen feet.
In this form, Lewis possessed a dragon-like head and a pair of massive wings on his back. Most of his feathers shimmered in shades of emerald, violet, and turquoise, while long crimson feathers decorated the ends of his wings and the crown of his head, making him appear dazzlingly beautiful. His underside lacked feathers entirely, replaced instead by brilliant golden scales.
Lewis could immediately sense that feathered serpents were naturally immune to mental probing. In this form, his psionic abilities had strengthened dramatically.
The feathered serpent's eyes possessed true sight, allowing him to see through invisibility, illusions, and concealed magical energies as though permanently under the effect of True Seeing.
At the same time, he gained the ability to wield divine power and cast divine spells. As his abilities grew, he would even be able to learn divine magic in the same way sorcerers learned arcane spells.
Unlike druids, whose magic drew from nature itself, the feathered serpent's divine power originated from a broad force of benevolence rather than any specific deity.
Meanwhile, the creature itself also possessed impressive close-combat abilities. Its attacks carried magical power, and its venomous fangs were lethally toxic. It possessed lightning-fast reflexes, while its feathers and hidden scales could resist most ordinary physical attacks.
Wilderness Transformation: Feathered Serpent
Strength: 18
Dexterity: 20
Constitution: 18
Intelligence: 18
Wisdom: 22
Charisma: 17
Abilities: Moderate Magic Resistance, Venom, Constrict, Mental Immunity, Lightning Reflexes, Divine Spellcasting, Magic Weapons, True Sight, Empowered Spellcasting
Spells:
Cantrips: Daze, Disrupt Undead, Light, Ray of Frost, Read Magic, Resistance
1st Circle: Endure Elements, Mage Armor, Obscuring Mist, Protection from Evil, True Strike, Bless, Detect Alignment (Constant), Sanctuary, Shield
2nd Circle: Cure Moderate Wounds, Eagle's Splendor, Scorching Ray, Silence, Detect Thoughts (Constant), Lesser Restoration, Cure Wounds, Delay Poison, Invisibility (Constant)
3rd Circle: Gaseous Form, Magic Circle Against Evil, Summon Monster III, Create Food and Water, Cloak of Courage
4th Circle: Charm Monster, Freedom of Movement
5th Circle: Greater Restoration, Scrying, Dream
6th Circle: Heal, Crown of Glory
7th Circle: Ethereal Form (Constant)
Overall, the feathered serpent was somewhat weaker than the chimera in raw melee combat.
However, it possessed immensely powerful spellcasting abilities. Although it still could not use wizard spells, it had access to an entirely separate divine spell list. Those spells lacked destructive power, but possessed incredible healing and utility effects while exerting overwhelming suppression against evil creatures.
If translated into DND or World of Warcraft terms, Lewis could practically switch from wizard to priest through the feathered serpent transformation.
[Because you transformed into a Feathered Serpent, you have comprehended the powerful psionic template of the species. Your understanding of mental power has deepened. Psion Level +1. You have gained the ability: Mental Immunity.]
After fully experiencing the feathered serpent's strength, Lewis felt extremely satisfied.
This transformation perfectly filled the missing "priest" role in his skill tree, allowing him to heal, purify, and combat evil simultaneously.
And the feathered serpent's abilities truly countered the basilisk.
Its overwhelming sensory perception directly suppressed the basilisk's deadly gaze, while its holy power naturally restrained evil beings like the basilisk.
With this setup, dealing with the basilisk now seemed far more secure.
After transforming, Lewis barely needed any adaptation period to master the feathered serpent's movements.
That was largely thanks to his previous experience using the "hawk" and "serpent" aspects of his chimera form.
With a powerful flap of his wings, Lewis soared joyfully around the tower.
As the girls and unicorns watched the divine creature flying overhead, they instinctively felt a sacred solemnity, as well as the joy and beauty radiating from goodness itself.
As a divine creature, the feathered serpent unconsciously influenced nearby living beings.
Soon, Lewis descended back to the ground. Hermione and Ciri immediately rushed forward, eagerly touching his beautiful feathers and radiant scales.
"Touching you like this really feels like touching a god," Hermione murmured dreamily.
"If this were my homeland," Ciri commented, "you could absolutely gather worshippers as a deity."
Since she didn't mention any actual place names, Hermione found nothing strange about her words. She still assumed Ciri came from some isolated Eastern European countryside far removed from civilization.
Lewis lowered his head slightly and plucked several violet feathers from his body. After blessing them, he handed one to each girl.
This was one of the feathered serpent's unique abilities.
These blessed feathers could calm the mind and repel evil creatures when carried. Spellcasters could even use them to invoke Extraplanar Pact and summon Lewis in his feathered serpent form.
"This… this is for me?" Hermione asked delightedly as she attached the feather to her wallet clasp.
Ciri tied hers onto the hilt of Arcane Sword 2.0.
After spending some time testing the feathered serpent's abilities, Lewis finally returned to human form.
"Alright," he announced loudly, "now let's head back to Hogwarts and find the basilisk and its master once and for all!"
"Mm!"
"Leave it to me!"
Both girls responded immediately.
Lewis then grabbed several roosters from the coop beside the tower and stuffed them into a bag before canceling Magnificent Mansion and bringing the girls back to the castle.
But the moment they returned, they discovered that the entire Hogwarts—no, the entire warzone—had descended into chaos.
Professor McGonagall's magically amplified voice echoed throughout the corridors:
"All students are to return immediately to their dormitories! All teachers report to the staff room at once! Move immediately!"
Students were running everywhere in total panic, while rumors spread wildly through the castle.
Some claimed another student had been attacked, and this time someone had actually died rather than merely being petrified.
Others insisted the Chamber monster had finally emerged and was currently battling the professors.
Reactions varied wildly.
Some obediently headed toward their common rooms. Others cowered in corners trembling with fear. Some tried fleeing the castle entirely, while others simply burst into tears screaming for their mothers.
The prefects and Head Boy couldn't control the situation at all.
Watching the students panic like this, Lewis couldn't stand it anymore.
He immediately slipped into a secluded corner, transformed into the feathered serpent once again, activated Cloak of Courage, and cast Invisibility.
[Cloak of Courage: A 3rd-circle protective divine spell granting all allies in the area—including yourself—resistance against fear.]
Then he soared into the sky and circled the castle.
The feathered serpent's sacred aura combined with the encouragement of Cloak of Courage gradually calmed the terrified students.
Afterward, Lewis returned to human form. However, the lingering effect of Cloak of Courage remained active.
He strode directly into the Great Hall, where the largest crowd had gathered, and amplified his voice using Ghost Sound.
"Everyone, calm down!"
His voice, empowered by psionic force and Cloak of Courage, thundered through the Great Hall like rolling thunder.
The students immediately recognized the source.
Lewis Green.
The Ravenclaw prodigy.
The boy who had defeated a chimera.
After already being soothed once by the feathered serpent's aura, hearing Lewis's voice calmed them even further.
At this moment, the reputation Lewis had built finally revealed its true value.
"All students, follow your professors' instructions and return to your common rooms in an orderly fashion with your prefects!"
"You can trust the professors. Trust the school. Trust… me! After investigating this matter for quite some time, I have already uncovered the truth behind the Chamber of Secrets and mostly identified the Heir. I will work together with the professors to solve this crisis! Believe me—the creature attacking wizards will not continue rampaging much longer!"
To quickly stabilize the students, Lewis chose to gamble with his own reputation.
It was actually an extremely dangerous move.
If he failed to resolve the crisis, his reputation would suffer a massive blow.
But if he succeeded…
Then his prestige among the students would become comparable to that of the professors themselves.
This was Lewis's first true step toward building his own influence.
"So don't panic, everyone!" he continued loudly. "Remember—you are witches and wizards! Hold tight to your wands!"
"The threat will soon be eliminated!"
Under Lewis's reassurance, the students gradually obeyed.
The panic subsided, and they finally began cooperating with the prefects' instructions.
Taking advantage of the restored order, the prefects quickly organized groups and escorted students back toward their respective common rooms.
Meanwhile, Lewis and the two girls headed straight for the staff room.
If you want to read 60 chapters ahead of the public release, head over to: Patreon.com/RedString