Chapter 60: 4 Rings to Rule Them All (1)
The air in the Room of Requirement hummed with anticipation.
The four of them, Nero, Ember, Lilith, and Alaric, sat around a large wooden table, scattered with parchment, quills, and ancient tomes filled with magical theories.
Dim lighting from floating lanterns cast flickering shadows against the stone walls, giving the chamber a mystical aura fitting for their latest endeavor.
"Then we need a new approach," Alaric mused, tapping his quill against the table. "Something that works through intent-based magic, perhaps?"
"That's what I was thinking," Nero confirmed. "But first, we need to break it down. What do we actually need for this enchantment to work?"
The four conjured additional parchment and ink, quickly shifting into full-fledged research mode.
Ink splattered across pages as ideas took shape, and the atmosphere thickened with a mixture of concentration and excitement.
"First," Nero began, "we need a linked magical connection, an enchantment that binds all our objects together so when one person speaks, the others hear it."
"Second," Lilith continued, "it should work at any distance within Hogwarts. Otherwise, it's useless if we're too far apart."
"Third," Ember added, "it should be undetectable. No one else should be able to listen in, and it shouldn't trigger any magical detection spells."
"Fourth," Alaric finished, "we need a way to activate and deactivate it without needing wands."