You can read ahead up to 110 chapters on my Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/darkshadow6395
Ian loved reading bits of unofficial history in Hogwarts' library as well.
In fact…
Most young wizards were deeply interested in such folklore. After all, it was the sort of material one could endlessly gossip about. Even someone like Ian, who was usually quite serious, enjoyed reading these wild historical accounts.
And among the many legends circulating…
Aside from the romantic escapades of great wizards, the topic that had been debated for countless centuries, even among adult wizards, was the origin of wizardkind.
There were several theories.
The Star-Dust Descent Theory was the most popular one after the rise of Muggle science. It claimed that in ancient times, a meteor called the Arcane Star fell into the forests of Britain.
According to this theory, in the distant past, magic did not originally exist on Earth.
Magic only appeared after that silver-glowing meteor crashed into the planet. It was said not to be an ordinary celestial body, but a "Star Core" carrying the magical energy of the universe. When it struck the earth, it released a wave of energy known as the Breath of Aether, which seeped into the land, waters, and air.
Fragments of the meteor embedded in the soil infused it with cosmic power.
A group of humans living nearby were altered by this force: their blood took on a faint luminescence, their pupils could see through darkness as if it were daylight, and they could even sense the movement of natural elements. Over time, they learned to command nature, summon storms, and manipulate fire.
These people became the earliest wizards.
This legend was most often referenced by pure-blood families, especially the Blacks and Malfoys, who firmly believed their bloodlines originated from the meteor's very core.
They called themselves the innate heirs of magic. Supporters of this theory argued that wizardkind's obsession with the stars, such as Divination using star charts, alchemists honoring lunar cycles, and star symbols in ancient runes, was all a lingering memory of this cosmic origin.
How should one put it…
This unusual view of Divination was quite similar to the Cosmic Migration Theory. A few torn pages from the destroyed Chronicle of Pure Lineages even claimed that wizards were "wanderers from beyond the stars"--- though that so-called chronicle was clearly manufactured only after Muggle science began to flourish.
How much of it was copied from Muggle theories was anyone's guess. After all, the wizarding world had no plagiarism-checking system between its various academic factions. Muggle Prehistory even proposed a groundbreaking theory: that wizards were the true natives of Earth, while Muggles were the actual extraterrestrials.
In short…
Wizards in questionable mental states produced quite a number of wizard-origin theories that were equally questionable. Among them, the Star-Dust Descent Theory was the one most widely accepted by the public.
In recent years…
Newt and a few of his friends unearthed an ancient manuscript proposing that wizards evolved from "primordial reptilian beings", suggesting that the first wizards may not have been entirely human.
Instead, they were the descendants of some sort of "humanoid reptile."
Under that theory, Parseltongue wasn't a magical talent at all, but a "genetic remnant", their throat structure being similar to that of serpents, allowing them to emit certain frequencies that directly stimulated the nervous systems of snakes.
This science-leaning theory had become increasingly popular among wizards after the rise of modern science. Still, anyone with a bit of sense could see the absurdities in it. For example, it claimed that Salazar Slytherin did not build the Chamber of Secrets because of "pure-blood fanaticism," but because his serpentine ancestors were attempting to "awaken their slumbering kin" through the Chamber.
It also claimed that during the 17th-century witch-hunt era, Muggles did not simply fear magic; instead, they discovered that if wizards overused Parseltongue, they would gradually "degenerate" into mindless serpentine creatures.
These claims were full of holes to anyone who actually understood magical history. For that reason, the idea of "wizard evolution" held little appeal among mainstream wizards. They preferred the Star-Dust Descent Theory, along with four other explanations: the Goblin Contract Theory, the Dream-Awakening School, and the Elemental Symbiosis Theory.
According to the Goblin Contract Theory, a group of greedy humans once formed a forbidden pact with goblins, trading fragments of their souls in exchange for magical knowledge. The goblins carved spell methods and potion formulas onto parchment, but secretly embedded a curse; each time a human used magic, a piece of their soul would be consumed. To prevent the contract from destroying them, humans established pure-blood families, attempting to dilute the goblin curse through close-kin marriage.
This was one of the theories championed by pure-blood families.
Mixed-blood wizards and Muggle-borns, however, tended to believe the Dream-Awakening Theory. It claimed that in ancient tribes, there existed a kind of "dream-seer" who could travel through magical planes while asleep. When they brought spells or magical creatures back from their dreams into reality, the dormant magical gene was awakened.
According to this theory, deep beneath Gringotts lies a chamber containing the diary of the Most Ancient Dream-Seer. The diary recorded that "every wizard is two-sided, one side lives in the present world, the other exists eternally in the magical dream." Those who failed to control dream-travel eventually became ghosts who could only wander the waking world.
In a sense…
This theory even explained the origin of ghosts, making it more convincing than the Elemental Symbiosis Theory, which claimed that elemental spirits infused humans with power, thus creating wizards.
The Elemental Symbiosis Theory mostly appeared in children's tales and fairy stories. It wasn't part of any respected traditional lore, but rather one of those new stories that emerged only in recent years.
Most who believed it were children. As for Ian, he leaned more toward the bloodline-inheritance theory, which proposed that certain abilities or traits from magical creatures were transferred into humans, thus giving rise to wizards.
That, of course, touched upon the field of alchemy.
And those so-called future Gods, the black-robed wizards seemed to be validating this idea. However, once Ian stepped onto this island, he suddenly realized…
Perhaps the origin of wizards might not be limited to just one theory.
For example, Hybrid Theory.
Could it have originated on this very island?
No one knew. Some claimed that the first wizards were the offspring of magical creatures and humans interbreeding. Certain magical creatures with special abilities may have, through unknown means, combined with humans, creating descendants who possessed magical power. Just like how some wizarding families had unique magical talents.
Just like the Dumbledore family's affinity for phoenixes, or the Slytherin family's Parseltongue, these talents might very well be remnants of magical creature bloodlines inherited from ancient times.
Those would require hybridization between humans and magical creatures. Originally, this theory was considered utterly absurd, but after seeing how people here interacted with magical creatures, Ian was no longer so sure.
All that hugging, cuddling, lifting magical creatures high into the air, such scenes were everywhere.
"What the hell, is this really something I should be seeing?" Ian even spotted a man who had dressed a humanoid magical creature as a girl and was taking her out shopping.
He had to admit that the more he thought about it, the more terrifying it became.
"Let me show you around our world!" Bud had no idea what kind of mental damage Ian's innocent heart had just received; she simply revealed her warm and enthusiastic nature.
Morning light scattered across the cobblestone streets. When Ian followed Bud into the small town, a pumpkin carriage raced past them, pulled by a group of massive lightning reindeer.
Each one wore a finely crafted leather bridle.
"Make way! Make way!" The coachman shouted, "Fresh thunder-dragon eggs! Need to get them to the hatchery, fast!"
He looked like he was in a terrible hurry. Ian pressed himself against the wall and watched as five watermelon-sized eggs, each shell flickering with dangerous sparks of static electricity, were stacked inside the carriage.
"That's the town's express delivery service," Bud explained proudly. "Three times faster than a regular land chocobo!"
Her words stunned Ian once again, and he felt as if he had crossed into an entirely new world. Could the titan have brought things into this world that did not belong here?
Or things that did not belong to this timeline's universe?
Sunlight filtered through the leaves onto Bud's face, making her bright eyes shimmer. Ian followed her as they passed through narrow, ancient streets lined with stone-and-wood houses with thick straw roofs.
They turned a corner and reached in front of a tree house marked "Postal & Intelligence Services."
A dozen bird-type magical creatures were waiting in line. The toucan at the front was categorizing letters and stuffing them neatly into the storage pouch on its belly.
A sign beside the treehouse read:
"Urgent mail? Choose Lightning Express (extra fee applies)."
"Fragile items: Heavy-Armor Transport."
"Love letters? Try our Seven-Colored Lovebirds (+30% success rate)."
Ian couldn't help but think:
'This era may be primitive in many ways, but when it comes to advertising, they have nothing to envy from future generations. If anything, their creativity might be even more outrageous.'
"That's my cousin's partner. He passed the town civil service exam last year." Bud pointed at the great horned owl stamping envelopes. "He works at the post office and earns lots of money for my cousin every day!"
'They had currency. They even had ways for magical creatures to earn wages.'
Ian was, once again, completely shaken.
"Cold-Relief Potion --- Works in Seven Seconds!"
"Hair-Growth Potion --- Refund If Ineffective!"
"Love Potion --- Side Effect: Pig Nose Growth, Use With Caution."
The pharmacy entrance was even more spectacular. It seemed as if the earliest prototypes of potions had already appeared in this world.
No ritual magic was required.
Just handmade potions...
Occasionally, a magical creature's mouth was used to assist in the process.
A healer examined patients using different magical creatures, each of which seemed to correspond to a different diagnostic instrument.
Ian had no idea how such a system had developed. The most relaxed creature was a turtle. Its shell opened like a lid to reveal various herbs fermenting inside.
The air was filled with a mixture of earth, roasted meat, and floral scents, as though the entire town were immersed in an atmosphere blending primitive wildness with natural harmony.
"This is our town... Wind Chime Town," Bud said proudly as they walked. "Every household here has its own magical creature partner."
Ian looked around and saw many residents accompanied by creatures of all shapes and sizes: winged lizards circling in the sky; docile, cat-like, scaled beasts crouching at doorsteps; and an elderly woman walking past them while holding the leash of a three-headed serpent.
"Perhaps... not just partners?" Ian thought uneasily to himself, still recovering from the horrors he had imagined earlier.
As they talked, they arrived at a bustling market. The morning bazaar in the central square was in full swing. Vendors hollered loudly while holding up all sorts of peculiar goods.
Wooden stalls lined both sides of the square. A merchant wearing a feathered headdress was selling faintly glowing herbs.
"Healing salve for cuts! Ten shells a jar!"
In the nearby forge, the blacksmith swung his hammer down on a glowing piece of metal, sending sparks flying everywhere.
That was potion material.
And extremely potent potion material.
Ian could sense the magic inside, but he couldn't identify it. It was clearly an extremely powerful potion ingredient that had gone extinct by his time.
If only he could bring it back. Ian really wanted to buy several pieces.
"This stone...glows?" He pointed at the raw material in the forge.
He could feel the magic in the blacksmith's ore, too.
Bud nodded. "All the metals on this island glow. This one is 'Starfall Iron.' Even a mushroom will light up if it touches even a little of it!"
'What an impossible analogy!'
She pointed to a stall selling mushroom lamps, and indeed, the orange-red fungi emitted a soft, warm glow.
Ian felt like he was witnessing the most primitive form of magical material usage. Of course, people here didn't have magic inside their bodies, so they couldn't use "natural treasures" the way wizards did.
One could only say that when resources are abundant enough, even nonmagical people could learn to use magic in the most rudimentary ways. Perhaps magical creatures helped with that, too.
"What's that over there?"
Ian's attention was drawn to a boisterous fishmonger, a burly, bearded man who was commanding thirteen tentacled octopuses to clean fish, wrap orders, and collect payment simultaneously.
The most impressive part was the middle octopus wearing gold-rimmed spectacles and tapping its tentacles rapidly over an abacus.
"That's a Wisdom Octopus. Its math skills are more than ten times better than a normal person's," Bud whispered. "Last year's town mental-arithmetic champion was actually a Wisdom Octopus in human disguise."
She was recounting an act of blatant cheating.
Her tone was strangely emotional.
Ian honestly had no idea what to make of the whole scene. He noticed that some stalls were operated directly by magical creatures. A fox with a broom-shaped tail sat behind a counter, using its paws to make change for customers. Another creature that looked like a turtle covered in mushrooms was selling soup.
It was cooking the stew with the mushrooms on its back.
"This… is way too unscientific," Ian muttered.
It felt like he had personally eaten one of those infamous Yunnan mushrooms. The harmonious scene before him wasn't just bizarre; there was a surreal strangeness he couldn't quite describe.
Of course, perhaps Newt would be perfectly at home here. This place looked exactly like the utopia someone like Newt would dream of: a harmonious society where humans and magical creatures lived in complete integration.
(End of Chapter)