In LOTR with Harry Potter system-Chapter 446: The Transformation Technique

Upon receiving the system notification, Sylas remained outwardly calm, merely responding in his mind:

"Sign in."

[Sign in successful. Congratulations, you have obtained Merlin’s Supreme Art of Transformation.]

A flicker of genuine surprise finally crossed Sylas’s eyes.

Merlin occupied a transcendent position in the history of magic. He was not merely a great wizard, but the very spiritual foundation of transformation magic itself, revered in later ages as the Prince of Magic.

It was said that Merlin’s magical attainments had long surpassed the limits of mortal spellcasters, reaching a realm impossible to measure. Most notably, his mastery of transfiguration and transformation had broken every known boundary.

Unlike ordinary Animagi, who were forever bound to a single animal form, Merlin shattered the law of "one form for life." He could assume countless forms at will, unrestricted by species, scale, or even the distinction between living and non-living matter.

According to ancient magical records, Merlin once survived a duel in which his opponent unleashed a lethal plague within his body. Rather than resisting it directly, Merlin transformed himself into a microscopic organism, neutralizing the disease from within, a feat that demonstrated absolute dominion over form itself.

Legends claim Merlin could take the shapes of dragons, unicorns, thunderbirds, and other mythical beings. Many later scholars dismissed these tales as exaggerations.

Yet now Sylas understood the truth.

The legends were not exaggerations, they were understatements.

Merlin’s art of transformation was not about copying appearances. It was unrestricted metamorphosis.

He could become beasts, spirits, plants, microbes, stone, flame, mist, or even merge into the sea as foam upon the waves. Records tell of Merlin once transforming himself into a great tree, sleeping for decades before awakening once more.

This gave rise to another well-known legend: that Merlin was sealed, using a binding spell, imprisoned within an ancient tree until his body perished. Yet even that was not the end, for through ultimate transformation, Merlin transcended death itself.

As Sylas absorbed the inheritance of this supreme art, genuine admiration welled within him.

Merlin’s transformation was not a mere spellcraft technique. It was a law, bordering upon a Path, a doctrine of infinite change touching both body and soul.

At its core lay the principle of fundamental reconstruction: the complete reshaping of existence, from physical structure to spiritual essence.

If Sylas were to fully master this art...

Internally, he could transform himself into dragons, phoenixes, thunderbirds, or any mythical being, wielding their inherent powers as his own.

Externally, he could transform others, not as illusion, but as true transmutation, rewriting their life essence and soul so completely that even the world itself would recognize them as genuine.

Stone into gold. Fire into ice. Flesh into spirit.

Such feats would far surpass the Philosopher’s Stone, which merely rearranged matter. This was ontological transformation, change at the level of existence itself.

In theory...

With sufficient power, mastery, and understanding...

Sylas could one day approach the creative authority of the Creator.

To Sylas, Merlin’s Supreme Art of Transformation was like discovering an incomparable treasure. He felt an almost irresistible urge to immediately delve into its deepest mysteries, but he understood that such a path could not be rushed. Suppressing his impatience, he chose instead to proceed step by step.

Having accepted the invitation of the High King Finarfin, Sylas remained in the royal palace for a time with his wife, Arwen. During this period, he formally met the court and attended the welcoming banquet personally hosted by Finarfin.

Although Sylas was, in name, merely a grandson-in-law and an outsider to the royal bloodline, his strength alone was enough to command the High King’s respect. Especially after mastering the power of Time, Sylas’s presence had undergone a change. His strength now far surpassed that of ordinary refined beings.

Even Finarfin, himself standing at the pinnacle of the realm, could no longer clearly perceive Sylas’s limits. He could only sense that Sylas was surrounded by an invisible, unfathomable force, ancient, distant, and utterly alien to ordinary power.

Because of this, Finarfin no longer treated Sylas merely as a junior of the family, but rather as an equal guest.

Thus, the banquet was held not as a public ceremony, but as a private family gathering. Galadriel, Elrond, and a few close kin were present, and the atmosphere was warm, dignified, and sincere.

It was also during this time that Sylas learned more of Elrond’s life in Valinor. Elrond and his wife Celebrían had settled in the city of Tirion’s eastern domain, earning Finarfin’s trust and becoming one of the city’s stewards. To honor his memories of Middle-earth, Elrond had overseen the construction of a new settlement, naming it Rivendell, a reflection of the valley he once ruled.

As Sylas had only just arrived in Valinor and possessed no lands or foundation of his own, he naturally relied on his family’s influence for the time being.

After the banquet, Sylas politely declined Finarfin’s invitation to remain in the palace and chose instead to reside in Rivendell with Arwen.

In the days that followed, Sylas devoted himself fully to studying Merlin’s Supreme Art of Transformation.

He began with the most basic forms, common animals, carefully experimenting and refining each transformation. To the astonishment of Elrond and Galadriel, and the undisguised admiration of his son Elroth, Sylas successively transformed into a cat, a dog, a wolf, a sparrow, an ox, and a magnificent horse.

He flew through the skies, ran across the land, and swam through rivers and seas.

Yet this was not reckless experimentation.

Each transformation required absolute understanding.

Sylas meticulously observed every creature he sought to imitate, from fur and feathers to blood, cells, instincts, and even the resonance of the soul itself. Only after fully comprehending a creature’s structure and essence would he attempt the transformation.

Thus, despite possessing the Supreme Art, Sylas did not gain instant omnipotence.

Transformation was cumulative.

Knowledge had to be earned.

Over the course of several years, Sylas steadily expanded his repertoire until he had mastered nearly all common forms of life:

Birds of the sky, hawks, doves, swans, magpies, orioles

Beasts of the land, lions, tigers, elephants, bulls

Creatures of the sea, whales, dolphins, sharks, sea serpents

Even insects, flies, bees, mosquitoes, vanishing among flowers and leaves

More astonishing still, after transforming, Sylas could completely conceal his magical presence and aura, appearing indistinguishable from a natural creature.

Even animals with the sharpest instincts could not detect him.

Once, Sylas transformed into an ordinary animal and hid among a herd, neither Galadriel nor Finarfin, both beings of immense perception, could identify him at a glance. Even Gandalf, passing nearby, failed to realize that the bee sipping nectar from a flower was, in truth, Sylas himself.

This level of shapeshifting granted Sylas unparalleled concealment and survivability.

After mastering ordinary lifeforms, Sylas turned his attention to mythical creatures.

Because of his prior familiarity with phoenixes, dragons, thunderbirds, and great serpents, he progressed far more quickly in this phase.

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