Chapter 109: Transformation

Leaving the Lonely Mountain, Kael and his two companions settled temporarily in Dale. Smaug the dragon was simply too massive to lodge anywhere civilized, so Kael sent him to hunt alone in the great wilderness near the Lonely Mountain while remaining on call for his summons. Many of Dale's buildings had been destroyed by Smaug's dragon fire years ago, and even with all his magical abilities, Kael found no way to restore them to their original state. The three went directly to the house they had occupied before. The fireplace there was still connected to Rivendell and hadn't been disconnected by Kael. Gandalf was a busy man. After resting for just a short while, he prepared to find Bard. He wanted the descendant of Girion to lead Lake-town's residents in migrating to Dale. Dale was easy to defend and hard to attack, and with the Lonely Mountain at its back, once the Orcs made any move, they could quickly unite with the dwarves in the mountain to form a force capable of resisting the enemy. Rather than being defeated one by one by the Orcs. But Lake-town was surrounded by endless plains with no natural barriers. Once Orc armies attacked, there would be no way to stop their destructive advance. So for the safety of Lake-town's residents, Gandalf had to get them relocated to Dale before the Orc armies arrived. If possible, Gandalf also wanted to persuade Elvenking Thranduil to join the alliance against the Orcs. After Smaug was subdued, Kael and Gandalf questioned him extensively about his cooperation with the Orcs. Smaug naturally dared not conceal anything. According to him, the Orcs had contacted him before Azog was alive, trying to persuade him to cooperate. But Smaug was only devoted to guarding his treasure and had no interest in ruling or conquering Middle-earth. So he refused Azog's cooperation. It wasn't until recently that Azog's son Bolg actively contacted him, informing him of Thorin Oakenshield's intention to reclaim the Lonely Mountain. Using this as a reason, he reached an agreement with Smaug. Smaug allowed Bolg's Orc armies to enter the Lonely Mountain's domain and march north to reclaim the kingdom of Angmar. The Orcs acknowledged Smaug's rule over the Lonely Mountain and promised to give him half of the treasure they obtained from conquest and plunder. Now that the dragon was subdued, as news spread, Bolg would certainly be restless and might launch a major attack on the Lonely Mountain to occupy this important northern strategic point. While Gandalf worried about the possibly approaching war and busily prepared, Kael was also facing an important matter. At dawn one morning, Kael, as usual, pointed his wand tip at his heart and chanted, "Amato, Animo, Animado, Animagus." As the incantation ended, it seemed like there was a second heart in his chest. The weak heartbeat accompanied his original heartbeat in alternating rhythm like a duet, making him feel curious. Discovering this situation, Kael was overjoyed. This was a sign of impending Animagus success. Then he took out the Palantír to check the weather conditions at the High Pass of the Misty Mountains. Seeing dark clouds rolling and lightning flashing at the High Pass, Kael immediately set out. He had Bilbo stay in Dale while he traveled through the fireplace to Rivendell, then hurried on his flying broomstick toward the Misty Mountains. Torrential rain and thunder flashed at the High Pass. Kael didn't dare fly too high on his broomstick, afraid of being struck by lightning. He went directly to where he had buried the crystal vial and dug it out. The mixed liquid in the crystal vial had now turned into a blood-red liquid. Seeing the potion in the bottle, Kael's eyes lit up. Without delay, he quickly returned toward Rivendell. Now only one step remained before Animagus transformation. After returning to Rivendell, Kael didn't immediately return to Dale through the fireplace but temporarily stayed in Rivendell. When performing the transformation, he needed a spacious and safe place to ensure the process wouldn't be interrupted or put in danger. "Kael, was your journey successful?" Elrond, who had returned to Rivendell from Lothlórien, asked with a smile. Kael nodded and asked Elrond for help. "Lord Elrond, could you find me an undisturbed chamber? I want to ensure nothing goes wrong during transformation." Elrond naturally wouldn't refuse, and he was also curious about Kael's Animagus transformation. So far, only the skin-changers could transform into animals. Now with Kael, a wizard who mastered human transfiguration magic, he also wanted to see what animal Kael would become. Elrond led Kael to a spacious hall. There were no tables here, only fireplaces burning with roaring flames between the pillars on both sides. The fireplaces had no wood but never went out, providing warmth and lighting for the hall. On the marble floor, mysterious Elven runes were carved. As soon as Kael entered, he felt his spirits lift and his thinking become clear. "This is the Hall of Fire. Whenever I want to seek tranquility for contemplation and meditation, I spend time here," Elrond introduced. "You can perform your transformation here. No one will disturb you." Kael hadn't expected such a wonderful place in Rivendell. He felt that practicing magic here would be several times more efficient than usual. This gave him even more confidence in his Animagus transformation. After sincerely thanking Elrond, Kael focused all his attention on the transformation. He placed his wand against his heart once more and chanted for the last time, "Amato, Animo, Animado, Animagus." Then he opened the crystal vial and drank the red liquid in one gulp. The next second, two intense heartbeats came from his chest, so loud they could be heard in the spacious hall. This was followed by intense pain, as if his entire body was being reshaped. No less uncomfortable than the Cruciatus Curse. Meanwhile, the image of an animal gradually appeared in Kael's mind, becoming clearer and clearer. Kael was determined and tried not to resist this change. His body began to shrink rapidly. His clothes, jewelry, and other items merged with his skin, becoming fur. Finally, only a large owl remained in the hall. Specifically, this was a great horned owl. It had a round head topped with characteristic ear tufts, yellow and black mixed plumage, large golden eyes with sharp cold light, a hooked beak, and strong talons hiding sharp claws. Great horned owls were among the largest of all owls, and the one Kael had become was even more massive than ordinary ones. Standing a full meter tall with a wingspan of over three meters. On his first transformation, Kael felt somewhat bewildered. He lowered his head and saw his reflection in the smooth floor. "So my Animagus is consistent with my Patronus. It's an owl?" Kael was both surprised and unsurprised by this. Although it wasn't the handsome eagle-type raptor he most wanted, an owl was acceptable too. Owls not only had excellent flying ability but also night vision and hearing, allowing free activity at night. Very suitable for stealth. However, just because he became an owl didn't mean he could fly immediately. Kael flapped his wings, attempting to fly repeatedly in the hall. He stumbled and fell countless times, feathers flying everywhere. Finally, after countless attempts, he successfully took flight. Although he had experienced flying on a broomstick, flying himself was another experience entirely. Immersed in flight, Kael found the hall too small and quickly glided out the window, circling and dancing above Rivendell, taking in the entire valley's scenery. On the observation platform below, Elrond looked up at the sky with a smile. After flying enough, Kael flew directly toward Elrond. As soon as he landed, he transformed back into human form. "Thank you for your help, Lord Elrond. Otherwise, I wouldn't have succeeded in transformation so quickly." Kael thanked him gratefully. Elrond shook his head. "This was your own effort. I only provided a practice space." Then he asked, "By the way, how did your mission go?" Kael briefly recounted everything that happened at the Lonely Mountain. Hearing that Kael had subdued Smaug, even the well-traveled Elrond couldn't help being greatly surprised. Since dragons were created by Morgoth, no one except Morgoth had ever been able to subdue a dragon. Not even the Dark Lord Sauron. He hadn't expected this to change with Kael. Initially, Elrond worried this might be a trick by Smaug, but after learning the nature of the Unbreakable Vow and that the contract was completed under Gandalf's witness, Elrond was finally reassured. He trusted Gandalf's wisdom and knew he wouldn't act rashly. So when Kael requested healing for the dragon's injuries, Elrond readily agreed. Afterward, Kael didn't stay long in Rivendell and returned to Dale once again. But this time he didn't choose to return through the fireplace. Instead, he directly transformed into an owl, planning to fly over the Misty Mountains to familiarize himself with his Animagus form. Although he had successfully mastered Animagus transformation, he was still only at the beginner level and couldn't leave his wand behind. If he were a transfiguration master like Professor McGonagall, he could perform Animagus completely without a wand and even incorporate the wand into his body as part of himself. So even after successfully mastering Animagus, Kael needed constant practice until it became instinct. The Misty Mountains towered into the clouds. Kael flew all the way, seeing many traces of trolls, Orcs, and Wargs in the mountains. But he didn't stop, continuing to fly east until he crossed the mountains and reached the eastern side. Here he encountered the Great Eagles. The Great Eagles also discovered him and quickly flew toward him. Kael was startled. Were they treating him as prey? Just as he was about to transform back into human form, a voice reached his ears. "What are you? You look like an owl, but you don't smell like one. Instead, you have a human scent?" A Great Eagle circled around Kael, curiously examining him while asking questions. [Chapter Complete] *** Want more? 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