Regulus of Hogwarts: Lord of the Stars

Back in the dorm, he casually tossed Hermes onto the bed and ignored him.

After a quick wash, Regulus lay down and let his consciousness sink deep into the ground.

At the center of the star's orbit, that figure is still there, small and radiant, standing where all the light converges.

Regulus looked at it, a strange feeling welling up inside him.

novel.

This thing is called the soul.

He had heard countless stories about the soul.

Dark magic harms the soul, the Killing Curse kills the soul, the Crucifixion Curse tears the soul apart, and the Imperius Curse twists the soul.

Almost every wizard knows these things and can say a few words about the soul.

But what exactly is the soul?

What form is it?

In what form does it exist?

What exactly is the relationship between the body and the brain?

Not many people knew, but Regulus did now.

He looked at the figure, his mind filled with thoughts of the true wizards at the top.

Dumbledore must know.

In the original future, Dumbledore drank poison and was on the verge of death. What did he see?

It wasn't mentioned in the book, but he later told Harry, "I won't tell you what I saw at King's Cross Station, Harry."

More importantly, after Harry was struck by the Killing Curse, he arrived in a space between life and death, where Dumbledore's spirit was waiting for him and guiding him.

Dumbledore could not only see souls, but he could even retain consciousness in some form after death and communicate with the living.

His understanding of the soul was far deeper than his own.

That's for sure, that's Dumbledore.

Where is Voldemort?

Voldemort is the only known wizard who systematically observes, splits, and manipulates his own soul.

He tore his soul apart through murder, sealing the fragments into Horcruxes so that he could continue to exist after his physical body was destroyed.

But his observations were pathological; he saw the soul, but treated it as a tool.

Regulus suddenly had a thought: how did Voldemort split his soul?

Cut it piece by piece?

Like cutting off a person's left arm, then their right leg, leaving only the head as the main soul?

Or should we peel it layer by layer?

With each Horcrux created, the soul dims a little, until eventually it can no longer even maintain its human form.

He looked at his little soul figure, which was there shining brightly.

What exactly does Voldemort's soul look like?

Is it the kind of disability that comes from missing limbs, or the kind of weakness that comes from being gray and dim?

He didn't know, after all, Regulus had never split his soul, and those who had wouldn't go around talking about it.

Regulus thought that if he ever had the chance, he really wanted to see it for himself.

He was curious, but he wanted to see for himself what would happen to a soul after being tormented like that.

However, Voldemort probably wouldn't agree to let him see it, which is a problem.

Regulus snapped out of his thoughts.

Dumbledore and Voldemort were both among the most outstanding wizards of their time, and it is only natural that they had their own understanding of the soul.

But they took different paths.

Dumbledore looked inward and saw the essence, while Voldemort looked outward and saw the tools.

In addition, there was an unexpected observer: Harry Potter.

At King's Cross Station, Harry saw Voldemort's broken soul.

That was the only time in the original story that a living wizard directly observed another person's soul form.

But the world is so big, there must be more than just these few exceptions.

The Silent Ones of the Ministry of Magic study time, love, emotions, and the soul; they must have some good stuff there, and may even have complete records of soul observations.

What about Grindelwald?

Regulus did not believe that he could not see his own soul.

That level of mental fortitude, that control over mental magic—it would be strange if they couldn't see it.

These three top wizards can all see their own souls, but they have different focuses and use them differently.

Dumbledore looked inward, Voldemort looked outward, and as for Grindelwald...

He can look at it however he wants, and use it however he wants.

Regulus stopped thinking about them; he thought about himself, wondering what it meant that he could now see souls.

Good or bad?

That little soul still has room to grow. He has no doubt that he will grow to their level, and he has no doubt that he will naturally see souls when that time comes.

But now, it's really too early, twelve years old, second grade.

But looking back on the whole process, he felt that every step was natural.

Star trail meditation, the five planets in motion, the guardian spirit of Orion, and then, in the deepest part of your spiritual world, repeatedly ask yourself that question: Who am I?

As I kept asking, I finally saw it.

There were no external forces, no accidents, and no bad influences; he took every step on his own.

So it shouldn't be a bad thing.

Then he thought again, Voldemort was able to split his soul in fifth grade, while he could only see souls.

Compared to that, it doesn't seem like much.

He didn't know if there was a necessary connection between splitting the soul and seeing the soul; whether there was or not, he put it aside.

He continued to feel the changes within himself.

With a more solid self-awareness, it is a true confirmation from the inside out. He not only knows who he is, but also sees who he is.

This could mean that magical perception will transcend the material realm.

Ordinary wizards' perception of magic is limited to magical fluctuations, spell structures, and magical items.

His ability to see souls may mean that his perception has entered a certain conceptual level.

From perceiving magic to perceiving existence itself.

There is also absolute self-affirmation.

Seeing the soul is equivalent to seeing the unchangeable "me".

From then on, no force that attempted to change his nature—such as the erosion of dark enlightenment, attacks on the cognitive level, or alterations on the soul level—could bypass his soul defenses.

Because he has seen the core that needs to be protected, he also has a natural defense against attacks on the soul level.

Once he knows what the soul should look like, he can immediately sense that it is being altered, which is far more advanced than Occlumency.

Brain shut-off defends against the invasion of consciousness, while soul observation defends against the alteration of existence itself.

This feeling is like lighting a lamp in the deepest part of your spiritual world.

All attacks must first pass through the light of this lamp, leaving no room for disguise and making it impossible to change anything.

The light of Betelgeuse illuminates the boundaries of our self; now, seeing the soul is an extension of Betelgeuse.

What we are protecting is the border, and what we are seeing is the core within that border.

If Betelgeuse is about letting him know who he is, then seeing the soul is about him seeing where that "I" am.

When the two are combined, mental defense is no longer a simple barrier, but an absolute affirmation based on a direct understanding of one's own nature.

Regulus stopped thinking about the soul and began to think about the next thing: Rigel, the sixth star in Orion.

The astronomical data flashed through his mind; it was located in the lower right corner of Orion, forming a large quadrilateral with Betelgeuse, Rigel, and Rigel.

Its name in Arabic means "Sword of the Giant," and it is 650 light-years from Earth. It has a mass 15-16 times that of the Sun and a surface temperature of 26,000 degrees Celsius.

The features are very interesting.

Most of its energy is radiated in the ultraviolet band, which is invisible to the naked eye, so it appears dark, but its actual luminosity is very high.

Moreover, it will eventually end its life with a supernova explosion.

An unseen edge.

The inevitable end.

Regulus analyzed in his mind that if Betelgeuse was a fist and Rigel was a shield, then Rigel must be a sword.

A fist can be swung, a shield can be raised, but a sword should always be kept in its sheath.

It doesn't flaunt its power or show off its strength, but everyone knows it's there.

When it's time to draw your sword, you must determine the outcome.

The imagery is very clear.

What are the conditions for lighting it up?

He considered several directions.

It may be necessary to exert decisive influence proactively for the first time, rather than responding passively.

It could mean seeing through things that others can't see through, and using that to achieve one's goals.

It may be necessary to accept the fact that sharpness can bring destruction, but not to give up using it because of that.

Perhaps, it is necessary for the little soul to hold it.

He imagined the scene: starlight flowed towards the little man, condensing into the shape of a sword in his hand.

Petty people should not be nourished by starlight, but they should grasp it.

Regulus pondered these thoughts and turned his attention to the starry sky of the spiritual world.

With the five planets in motion, their positions fixed, and their orbits clear, he began to construct a new model, placing Betelgeuse within it.

Based on past experience, this kind of thing requires a lot of calculations, including orbital parameters, gravitational influences, and the balance of magic flow.

Each step requires a long calculation and numerous adjustments.

But this time is different.

As soon as I focused my attention on it, the data automatically popped into my head, as if I already knew where I was going.

It was as if it wasn't something he calculated, but something the stars themselves gave him.

The eruption of Betelgeuse, the protection of Betelgeuse, and the order of the belt—they all tell him where Betelgeuse should be placed.

Regulus tried adjusting the position, but there was no need to; the position was already there.

He put the model of Betelgeuse inside, and then the six stars started moving on their own.

Adjusting the track, fine-tuning the distance, and adapting to each other—the whole process takes less than ten minutes, and a new balance is formed.

The six stars have each returned to their positions, and Orion shines brightly.

It was very faint, very weak, just a tiny bit of light, but it was indeed shining, connecting with the five stars to form a new whole.

Five and a half stars.

Regulus looked at the newly bright star and tried to recall its imagery.

but no.

Unlike Betelgeuse, it cannot be integrated with the Shattering Charm or the Explosion Charm, nor can it be integrated with the Guardian Charm like Betelgeuse.

Betelgeuse was just there, faintly shining, complementing the star trail meditation itself.

The system is more stable, the flow of magic is smoother, and perception is more acute, but its imagery cannot be recalled.

Regulus thought it might be related to its unseen sharpness.

It's also possible that something needs to be done or experienced to activate it, like some kind of ritual.

He guessed it was the latter.

It's only faintly lit now, just integrated into the system. He doesn't know when it will truly light up.

Regulus looked at the figure in the center of the star trail.

It stood there, shining, with the light of six stars flowing over it.

Regulus withdrew from the mental world, and the five and a half stars quietly operated deep within his consciousness.

go to bed.