The night of the alignment came with a stillness that seemed to hush even the stars.In the heart of Atelier Éternité, the Flamel couple and Roy stood inside a vast concentric array of glowing sigils. Above them, the full moon shone through the crystal dome, its light bent by enchanted mirrors into a perfect column that struck the center of the chamber.
Suspended within that silver beam floated two things:the Crystalline Heart, pulsing with Rowena Ravenclaw's soul-light,and the Vessel, serene and motionless, its silver-white form waiting.
The Circle of Three
Nicolas Flamel took his place at the northern rune, the direction of Mind.Perenelle moved to the east, the direction of Spirit.Roy stepped to the south, the direction of Life—the point that would carry the burden of the binding.
"Once begun," Nicolas said quietly, "the ritual cannot pause. The heart will seek its body; the body will call to the soul. If either wavers, both could fade."
Roy nodded, drawing the circle of Ope Ope energy around himself. Scarlet rings spread from his feet, locking into the gold geometry of the Flamel design until the floor blazed like a star map.
Invocation
Nicolas lifted his wand and spoke in the ancient alchemical tongue. Perenelle answered, weaving her own melody into his chant. Their voices braided together like light and shadow.
Roy raised his right hand; translucent runes spiraled from his palm."Vita Transmutatio — Anima Vocatio!"
The Crystalline Heart flared. From within it, a soft, clear tone rang through the air—Rowena's essence awakening. Threads of blue and silver light streamed outward, touching the vessel's chest.
"Roy…"The whisper brushed against his thoughts, warm and tremulous."I can feel the moonlight. It's calling me home."
"Then follow it," he murmured, eyes steady. "I'll guide you the rest of the way."
The Passage
The light between heart and vessel became a bridge of shimmering runes.Perenelle poured the Philosopher's Essence into the circle; Nicolas sealed each cardinal point. Roy moved his hands through the Ope Ope rings, shaping the flow so gently it seemed more like a dance than a spell.
The soul-stream entered the vessel. The body arched within the beam, tendrils of energy tracing veins of blue fire beneath its skin. Every rune in the atelier flared; the air thrummed with the resonance of rebirth.
Roy's mind filled with echoes—memories not his own: a castle being built stone by stone, laughter in old halls, a thousand years of silence. Then the memories folded inward, condensing into the single pulse that was Rowena's heartbeat.
The Moment of Binding
"Now, Roy!" Nicolas shouted over the rising hum. "Anchor her!"
Roy pressed his hand to the vessel's chest."Ope Ope: Soul Seal!"
Red and gold rings snapped together. The light exploded upward, piercing the dome and scattering into the Parisian sky like a shower of stars.
For one breathless instant, everything went still.
Then the vessel's eyes opened—deep blue, alive—and she drew her first true breath.
After the Light
The circles faded. The Crystalline Heart, now empty, drifted down into Roy's other hand—its task complete. Nicolas lowered his wand, awed; Perenelle wiped silent tears from her eyes.
Rowena sat up slowly, touching her own face as though rediscovering existence.Her gaze met Roy's.
"So this… is life again.""Welcome back, Rowena," he said softly.
She reached out, her fingers brushing his. The contact sent a faint shimmer through the air—proof that soul and body were one.
Nicolas smiled wearily. "A thousand years of theory, and the boy finishes it with heart. Alchemy may rest easy tonight."
Perenelle laughed through her tears. "The moon keeps its promises."
As dawn crept across the glass ceiling, Rowena stood with Roy at the center of the now-dormant sigils."Every legend ends in silence," she whispered, "but you gave mine a new beginning."
Roy looked at her, light catching in his violet eyes."Then let's make the new beginning worth a thousand more years."
And in the quiet hum of the workshop, the first heartbeat of a reborn age echoed once again.