This really was an unforeseen mutation for Ian.

He could clearly feel his Magic Power flowing in a way it never had before, as if it were parsing some kind of complex structure. Under the effect of his Magic Power, the raven’s corpse gradually became utterly without secrets, as though shrouded in a faint glow that cracked open every last piece of information about the corpse’s essential nature.

Yes.

Ian could feel his Magic Power delving into the raven’s body in an unbelievable way. Every feather, every bone, every drop of blood, even the structure of every single cell, all surfaced vividly in his mind. The sensation was as if he had dug out the raven’s physical makeup from the level of its very essence.

During this process of analysis, Ian’s consciousness gradually turned hazy. He felt as though he was caught inside a massive vortex, being dragged deeper and deeper. Everything around him became illusory and unreal; only the raven’s corpse and the Magic Power dissecting it still truly existed.

It was like even memories were being parsed out from the raven’s brain.

However.

Only a few fragments.

All sorts of strange images kept flashing through Ian’s mind—scenes of the raven darting through a storm, and tranquil moments of it perching quietly on a branch.

These images flickered past his mind like a lantern show, so fast he could barely keep up. As for this ill omen Merlin shunned like the plague, Ian felt as if he could see straight through it—its bodily structure, the essence of its life—everything was laid out "before his eyes" with nothing hidden.

In that moment, Ian seemed to have turned into a precision instrument, and Magic Power was his searchlight, helping him penetrate the surface of matter and fully sense the raven’s "existence."

He saw how the muscle structure inside the raven so ingeniously supported its posture in flight, saw how the feathers were arranged at precise angles to maximize its flight efficiency...

He also saw how those sharp, deep eyes captured prey far away.

"Oh! No!"

The Magic Power that had flowed out would, in the end, have to flow back, and it was precisely this return current of Magic Power that caused Ian’s mutation. Carrying the raven’s physical structure and memories, that Magic Power quickly merged into his body and soul. Before Merlin could even sense what was happening, feathers began to sprout from Ian’s body amid a startled shout.

"What the hell!?"

Merlin was scared out of his wits too.

"Transformation! I told you already! I’m about to transform!"

There was a note of pain in Ian’s cry.

For good reason.

His form was twisting faster and faster—of course, a dunce might only panic in this situation, but Ian was a Legendary Wizard who understood Magic better than any top student. Precisely because of that, even in his panic he was the first to realize what was happening to his own body.

Animagus transformation.

This was the Transformation Technique that stood at the apex of the Pyramid of Transformation Magic. In the twentieth century there had only been seven registered Animagi, and that count even included Professor McGonagall, the head of his House.

Of course, there were illegal Animagi too, but the Ministry of Magic kept them under strict control, requiring all Animagi to register the animals they transformed into and their characteristics with the Misuse of Magic Office at the Ministry of Magic. Under normal circumstances, mastering Animagus form required several years, allowing a person to become the animal that suited them best. In fact, before the Riddle incident happened, Ian had been studying Professor McGonagall’s notes, hoping to gain control over this Magic.

He had even completed all the preparatory work and was just waiting to undergo training under Professor McGonagall’s guidance; before he had full confidence, Ian had no desire to attempt it. After all, when practicing Animagus magic, one might lose control and be unable to turn back into a normal human.

As a cautious person, Ian had never imagined he would be forcibly shoved into such a Magic Transformation with zero warning, even skipping all the tedious steps required to cultivate an Animagus.

"Animagus?" Merlin watched Ian collapse to the ground in pain as one black feather after another kept being squeezed out of his body, and he finally seemed to realize what was happening to Ian.

"I knew it, there had to be a trap on a dead bird’s corpse too!" Merlin, somewhat shocked and uncertain, seemed to take Ian’s condition as some kind of Curse attached to the raven’s corpse.

He tried to help Ian, but the instant his hand touched Ian’s body, it was as if he had been hit by a cannonball; he was instantly blasted backward and slammed hard into the wall. 𝐟𝕣𝕖𝐞𝐰𝕖𝚋𝐧𝗼𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝗰𝐨𝐦

And there it was.

It was as if an invisible force field had formed around Ian. That wasn’t Ian’s own Magic or ability, but a trait carried by whatever he was about to transform into.

"A Magic Creature!"

Ian didn’t know whether he should be pleased or terrified. He was aware that he was brushing up against the first taboo of Animagus magic: transformations into Magic Creatures almost always brought terrifying, unpredictable consequences.

Perhaps the agony wracking his body originated from this. His spine twisted and sent out waves of unbearable stabbing pain; the Magic Power that had lain dormant deep in his veins suddenly woke like a venomous snake and surged madly along his marrow.

He could clearly feel every nerve ending screaming, the blood surging beneath his skin as if it were about to burst through its vascular cage, and every bone in his body was letting out faint cracking sounds.