The perspective was dizzyingly fast, gliding low over the landscape before shooting skyward in the blink of an eye. The ground receded, replaced by a horizon filled with churning clouds. Ahead loomed a massive storm cloud, dark and foreboding. It stretched across the sky like an iron curtain, its weight pressing ominously on the earth below. Winds howled like tormented spirits, and lightning slashed through the heavens like jagged claws tearing the fabric of reality.
Alex realized he was experiencing the memory of the rune’s creator—the vision of a dying Thunderbird. It was chasing the storm. The Thunderbird dove headfirst into the heart of the tempest. Torrential rain and brutal winds lashed against it, but it pressed on, undeterred. With every beat of its wings, it climbed higher into the storm’s wrathful embrace, seeking something in the chaos.
As it flew closer to the storm’s core, Alex could almost feel the electric charge crackling in the air. Lightning flashed dangerously close, the booming thunder rattling through the scene. The air smelled dry and sharp, charged with ozone. But rather than fear, the Thunderbird radiated exhilaration. Alex felt its joy and purpose as it pushed toward the strongest bolt of lightning. This was more than instinct; it was a pursuit of evolution, a desperate race against time.
Then came the climax. The Thunderbird twisted sharply, hurtling toward a colossal lightning strike. The bolt hit it with explosive force, turning it into a living lightning rod. Electricity coursed through its body as the storm responded, drawing bolt after bolt toward the bird. With each strike, the Thunderbird’s power grew. Magic surged within it, climbing to a crescendo. It was close—so close— to ascending to something greater. But in the end, it wasn’t enough.
Alex felt the Thunderbird’s sorrow as it expended the last of its strength. Its body, crackling with accumulated lightning, faltered. Unable to sustain its efforts, it plummeted from the sky, the storm’s fury fading as the majestic creature fell. The vision ended abruptly, leaving Alex breathless and dazed. “A dying memory of a Thunderbird?” he whispered, still reeling. “It was chasing a thunderstorm, trying to break through… but it fell short. And this rune… it must have formed from the remnants of its magic and life force.”
Alex let out a deep breath, his mind swirling with thoughts. The memory was a vivid reminder of nature’s raw beauty and the Thunderbird’s indomitable spirit. “No wonder the rune resonates with the Drawing,” he said quietly. “They’re connected… relatives, in a way. And this original rune contains a fragment of the Thunderbird’s life force. It’s incredible.”
He couldn’t help but wonder: if the Thunderbird had absorbed enough lightning, could it have truly been reborn? The idea fascinated him, but he had never encountered any record of such a phenomenon in magical creature studies. “This might be a new discovery,” Alex mused. “A Thunderbird chasing rebirth through lightning… it’s almost like the legend of a vulture plucking its feathers and beak to start anew.”
Alex shook his head, dismissing the thought. He wasn’t a magical biologist, nor did he want to dive into such complexities right now. The immediate priority was to analyze the rune in front of him. After entering the memory linked to the rune, Alex had unintentionally formed a deep connection with it. It was as if he’d re-experienced the entire process of the rune’s creation, giving him an intuitive understanding. So, when he poured his magic into the rune again, the process of analysis wasn’t just easy—it was effortless.
In just a few minutes, Alex had a complete grasp of the rune’s structure and intricate details. He was certain that even if this rune were given to someone else, they wouldn’t reach his level of insight or comprehension. With the analysis complete, Alex removed the protective plastic suit he’d been wearing. As he raised his left hand, a glowing lightning rune, carefully constructed from his magic, shimmered into existence on his palm. “Even without testing it further, I can already feel how powerful this is,” Alex remarked, a pleased smile forming as he examined the rune. “Since this was created in the wild, I’ll call it ‘Thundris Tempest.’ It pairs nicely with the fire rune I worked on earlier, which I named ‘Ignis Ferox.’ Pretty fitting names, don’t you think?” He admired the glowing rune with satisfaction.
Turning his attention to the magic book in front of him, Alex’s gaze landed on the original lightning rune, still lying quietly on the page. “Since this came from the Thunderbird, it should sync well with Dark Drawing,” he mused.
With a new idea brewing, Alex picked up the dark drawing and aligned it with the original rune. He poured his magic into the drawing, initiating the absorption process. A faint, zipping sound filled the room as the rune was absorbed into the drawing. Almost immediately, Alex could sense a surge of energy. The wand embedded within the drawing seemed to come alive, buzzing with renewed vitality. At the same time, the ebony wood wand lying nearby, previously dull, began to glow faintly.
Silver halos rippled across the wand’s matte finish before fading away, leaving behind delicate silver filigree etched into its surface. The subtle transformation added an elegant charm. “Well, it looks like Dark Drawing is happy with the Thundris Tempest Rune,” Alex observed with a nod of approval. “Now to test what this rune is truly capable of.”
Wasting no time, Alex tidied up his workspace. He carefully stored the protective suit and unused potions, then began setting up his equipment. From his space bag, he retrieved various instruments and methodically arranged them on the table. “The first step is to measure the voltage and compare Thundris Tempest to a basic lightning rune. I’ll start with a magic output of five lum,” Alex muttered to himself as he prepared.
He activated a large multimeter he’d bought from a Muggle store—an invaluable tool for precise measurements. Next, he set up a simple circuit using a thin, one-millimeter copper wire mounted on a small stand, carefully connecting the multimeter’s probes to the wire. Avoiding the use of his wand, Alex opted to cast the runes directly from his hand. Using the wand would enhance the spell’s power and possibly skew the data. Instead, he conjured a basic lightning rune in his palm, channeling a controlled stream of electricity through the copper wire at five Lum of magic output.
He repeated this process ten times, carefully recording the voltage readings each time. Once finished, he dispersed the rune and conjured the Thundris Tempest Rune, repeating the same process under identical conditions. “The magic output and emotional control were steady throughout,” Alex noted, reviewing his data. “With the basic lightning rune, the average voltage was around 200 volts. But with Thundris Tempest, the average jumped to 1,000 volts—five times as powerful!” He leaned back, surprised by the results. “That’s impressive. At this rate, with practice and stronger magic output, Thundris Tempest could potentially reach high-voltage or even ultra-high-voltage levels.”