If building the castle had been exhausting…
This?
This was madness.
A year.
A full year of five of the greatest magical minds in history working together—arguing, refining, rewriting, nearly blowing up sections of the castle more than once—just to create one room.
And not just any room.
"A space that responds to intent…" Rowena murmured, pacing slowly, her fingers tracing glowing runic diagrams in the air.
Her eyes were distant—lost in thought, as always when she was deep in theory.
"…but constrained by reality."
"It cannot create from nothing," I said, leaning against the wall, arms crossed.
"It doesn't need to," Salazar replied coolly. "Replication is enough."
Godric snorted from across the chamber.
"'Enough,' he says. You're both talking about rewriting spatial laws like it's child's play."
"It is child's play," I said lazily.
Helga sighed.
"You say that every time before something explodes."
"…And?" I raised a brow.
"…And something always explodes," she replied flatly.
I grinned.
Fair point.
The chamber we were working in was already warped beyond recognition.
Runes layered over runes.Ancient symbols clashing with modern spellwork.Threads of magic woven so tightly they hummed in the air like a living thing.
At the center of it all—
The framework.
Rowena's masterpiece.
"This is the core," she said, gesturing to the massive floating construct of interlocking runes and shifting magical geometry.
"It interprets desire."
Salazar stepped forward slightly.
"And my contribution ensures it interprets correctly."
I snorted.
"Your version of 'correct' involves mind-reading."
"It involves precision," he corrected smoothly.
Godric folded his arms.
"You're reading students' minds. That's not exactly comforting."
Salazar didn't even blink.
"They won't notice."
"That's not better."
I stepped in before that turned into another argument.
"It's not invasive," I said, tapping one of the glowing constructs.
"It reads intent. Surface-level desire. Not memories."
Rowena nodded immediately.
"Exactly. Think of it as… translating thought into structure."
Helga tilted her head slightly.
"…So the room understands what you need, not just what you think you want?"
Rowena smiled faintly.
"Yes."
"That's actually amazing," Helga said softly.
"It's also incredibly dangerous if it goes wrong," Godric added.
I shrugged.
"Then don't think stupid things while inside."
"…That's not reassuring either," he muttered.
We returned to work.
Godric handled the transfiguration layers—
And honestly?
Even I had to admit…
He was ridiculous.
The way he reshaped magical constructs—turning raw energy into stable, physical form—was something else entirely.
"You're overcomplicating this section," he said at one point, glancing at my work.
I raised a brow.
"I'm refining it."
"You're adding unnecessary complexity."
"I'm making it stronger."
"You're making it unstable."
I narrowed my eyes slightly.
"…Want to test that theory?"
He grinned.
"Oh, absolutely."
Helga immediately stepped between us.
"No."
We both sighed.
"Later," Godric muttered.
"Definitely later," I agreed.
Salazar, meanwhile, was focused entirely on the mental interface.
"Your spell is too vague," he said without looking at me.
I frowned slightly.
"It's adaptive."
"It's imprecise."
"It allows flexibility."
"It allows errors."
I walked over, glaring slightly.
"Fine. Show me your version."
He did.
And annoyingly…
It was better.
"…I hate that you're right," I muttered.
"I know," he replied calmly.
Rowena didn't even look up.
"You both are, in different ways. Merge them."
We paused.
Then—
Simultaneously—
"…Fine."
Hours blurred into days.
Days into weeks.
Weeks into months.
Failures.
Explosions.
Collapsed constructs.
Magical backlash that nearly tore the room apart more than once.
And every time—
We rebuilt.
Refined.
Improved.
Until finally—
"It's ready," Rowena said quietly.
Silence fell over the chamber.
The construct hovered at the center—stable now.
Perfect.
Alive.
All five of us stood around it.
"Moment of truth," Godric said.
I stepped forward.
"…I'll test it."
"Of course you will," Salazar muttered.
I ignored him.
I stepped into the space.
Closed my eyes.
And thought.
A combat training room.
Magic shifted.
I opened my eyes—
And the world had changed.
Stone walls reshaped into a vast arena.
Weapons racks lined the sides.
Dummies—moving, reacting, alive—filled the space.
I smirked slightly.
"Not bad," I said.
I flicked my wand—
One of the constructs attacked.
Fast.
Precise.
I countered instantly—
Magic clashing, movement fluid—
Perfect.
I stopped, lowering my wand.
"It works," I said simply.
The others stepped in.
Godric tested a battlefield.Helga created a fully stocked healing ward.Salazar…
Salazar's room was darker.
Of course it was.
But it worked.
Every time.
Perfectly.
Rowena looked around, awe in her eyes.
"…We actually did it."
I exhaled slowly.
"Yeah," I said.
Salazar crossed his arms.
"A room that becomes whatever the user requires…"
Godric grinned.
"That's going to be useful."
Helga smiled softly.
"It's going to help a lot of students."
I looked around the shifting space—
Feeling the magic hum, alive and responsive.
"…This," I said quietly,
"is one of the best things we've ever made."
And for once—
No one disagreed.