Lewis didn't hesitate.
After repeatedly scanning the diadem with magic and confirming that it contained no lingering malicious intent or strange residual consciousness, he finally placed it on his head.
This time—
For real.
In an instant, his mind cleared.
But that was all.
Aside from a slight boost to intelligence and spellcasting ability, the diadem didn't seem to do much else.
That's… underwhelming.
For something so legendary, it felt a bit disappointing.
However—
Through Identify, Lewis noticed something unusual.
[Ravenclaw's Diadem: Legendary Wondrous Item. The masterpiece of Rowena Ravenclaw. This finely crafted silver circlet grants the wearer +2 Intelligence and +2 caster level. It appears to contain a hidden power.]
"A hidden power?"
Lewis narrowed his eyes.
"What exactly is that?"
He began probing it with his psionic senses.
Soon—
He found it.
A cluster of thoughts.
Memories.
So subtle that without his heightened sensitivity, he might never have noticed.
Carefully—
He touched it.
And instantly—
A flood of knowledge surged into his mind.
It was—
Rowena Ravenclaw's research.
On emotion.
On imagination.
On the soul.
But it wasn't about directly controlling minds or souls.
Instead—
It focused on the power contained within emotion and imagination.
Imagination shaped magic.
Emotion amplified it.
This—
Was the fundamental nature of magic in this world.
Apparition required imagining the destination—and the determination to reach it.
Unforgivable Curses required genuine malice.
Transfiguration required envisioning the transformation.
Even ordinary spells—
Could be strengthened through emotion.
And the greatest power of all—
Love—
Could sustain protective magic for over a decade.
Ancient magic, like that used by certain transfer students in Hogwarts Legacy, was even more extreme—
Driven purely by emotion and imagination.
Just like the accidental magic of young children.
Unpredictable.
Uncontrolled.
Powerful.
And dangerous.
That was why—
At its peak—
It could manifest as raw, malicious energy.
A pure embodiment of negative emotion.
According to the diadem's knowledge—
Rowena Ravenclaw's final research focused entirely on this.
Imagination formed the framework of magic.
Magic power filled that framework.
Emotion—
Seemed to function in a similar way.
And during her research—
She made a startling discovery.
Emotion wasn't limited to living wizards.
It existed in ghosts as well.
Or rather—
Ghosts themselves were born from obsession.
A persistent, unchanging emotional imprint.
From this—
She formed a hypothesis.
If ghosts were essentially emotion + soul—
Then could one achieve immortality by gathering emotional energy and binding it to the soul?
Like most powerful beings—
She desired immortality.
And she pursued it relentlessly.
She even created a new spiritual entity—
Combining a fragment of her own soul with emotional energy.
An experiment.
But—
It failed.
The new entity couldn't generate new emotions.
Human emotions evolved over time.
Ghosts?
They were frozen.
Their emotions neither increased nor decreased.
Such an existence—
Was no different from death.
So she sought another solution.
If emotion came from the body—
Then perhaps she needed to give the soul a body.
She tried.
She succeeded.
And failed.
The artificial body could house the spirit—
Allowing it to exist as if alive.
But—
It still couldn't generate new emotions.
It was nothing more than a living ghost.
After that—
Her research stalled.
Failure after failure.
Until finally—
She created one last thing.
A soul storage device.
If she died before completing her work—
Her soul and her research would be preserved separately.
Waiting.
For someone—
To continue where she left off.
And perhaps—
Bring her back.
Lewis slowly opened his eyes.
"…No matter the world," he murmured, "once a mage reaches a certain level… they all start chasing immortality."
Kel'Thuzad.
Liches.
Soul jars.
Horcruxes.
Different paths—
Same destination.
[You have worn Ravenclaw's Diadem. You have inherited her knowledge. Your Wizard level +2. You have gained insight into the study of emotion and the soul.]
[You have learned the method of creating ghosts. You recognize similarities with a higher-order existence. You have comprehended the Heroic Spirit Creation Ritual.]
[Heroic Spirit Creation Ritual: A ritual to create Heroic Spirits. Requires three elements: immense soul-based magical power as a foundation, the soul as the core, and legend as the framework. When combined, a Heroic Spirit can be formed.]
Lewis froze.
"…Wait."
"So her theory actually works?!"
It made sense.
Heroic Spirits—
Were souls elevated by legend and belief.
In essence—
They were also spiritual entities.
But unlike ghosts—
They had power.
Independence.
Emotion.
Exactly what Ravenclaw had sought.
The difference was clear.
Ghosts relied on obsession.
Heroic Spirits relied on legend and faith.
That—
Was the key.
Now—
With the ritual in hand—
Did that mean Ravenclaw's dream could finally be realized?
…If her soul could be found.
Lewis already had an idea.
Soon, he left the Room of Requirement.
Returning to normal life.
As if nothing had happened.
Until—
Late at night.
Lewis woke silently.
After confirming his roommates were asleep, he slipped into the common room.
Empty.
Perfect.
He took out the diadem—
And placed it onto the bust of Ravenclaw.
The moment it settled—
Something changed.
The diadem—
Transformed.
Like rust being stripped away—
Revealing its true form.
A magnificent golden crown.
At its center—
An eagle with outstretched wings, crafted from countless shimmering diamonds.
Its body held a deep blue gemstone, refracting brilliant light.
Along the rim—
An inscription:
"Wit beyond measure is man's greatest treasure."
Its properties—
Changed.
[Ravenclaw's Diadem: Legendary Wondrous Item. Fully awakened. Grants +6 Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charisma, +3 caster level, and allows the wearer to perceive all illusions as if under True Seeing.]
At the same time—
Two additional gemstones appeared beneath the central gem.
One spherical.
One teardrop-shaped.
Lewis realized—
The magical aura from the statue had vanished.
It had all—
Transferred here.
When he touched them—
He understood.
The teardrop gem—
Was a reservoir of emotional energy.
Calm.
Kindness.
Curiosity.
Melancholy.
Joy.
A complete spectrum—
Blended together.
The same warmth Helena had once described.
And the spherical gem—
Was something else entirely.
A container.
A soul vessel.
Inside it—
Lay the soul of Rowena Ravenclaw herself.
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