Putting his glasses away, Alan didn't have time to waste with Vivian. He had more important things to do, so he quickly bid her farewell and rushed back to his cabin in the Forbidden Forest.
Today, he intended to complete his research and experimentation on another spell: the Infrasonic Curse, which was the polar opposite of his Echo Spell.
While the Echo Spell utilized high-frequency ultrasonic waves that reflected off objects for reconnaissance, infrasonic waves were extremely low-frequency. Because their frequency was close to the natural vibration of biological organs, they could easily cause resonance, directly affecting the nervous system. High-intensity infrasonic waves possessed a terrifying level of destructive power.
In his previous research, Alan had already overcome the difficulty of adjusting sound wave frequencies. Since increasing the frequency was possible, decreasing it was naturally within his reach. For the past few days, he had been fully engaged in the development and testing of the sequence.
"Next is the 33rd Infrasonic test. Magic rune combination is triangular. Test time: October 14th, 4:37 PM." After logging the entry in his notebook, Alan carried a cage containing a small mouse outside.
Since he was testing a destructive spell, Alan had prepared several mice as test subjects. Drawing his wand, he visualized the structure of the spell, channeling his magic to manifest the runes at the tip of the wood. He brought the wand close to the cage, lightly tapped the wire, and activated the charm.
"Buzz…"
A silent wave rippled from the wand. Although no sound reached his ears, Alan felt the effects instantly. Caught off guard, his entire body went numb. A high-pitched ringing filled his head, followed by an indescribable, overwhelming surge of nausea.
"I can't... hold it..."
Alan reached his limit. He swayed, leaning heavily against a nearby wooden fence, and began to vomit violently. Tears and snot streamed down his face as an agonizing discomfort radiated through his core. He remained bent over for at least five or six minutes before the spasms finally subsided, though his head felt heavy and his vision swam. He stood there with his eyes closed, resting until he finally regained his senses.
He shook his head vigorously, waiting for the dizziness to fade. Once stable, he ran to the basin inside the cabin to wash his face, then moved to the mirror to examine himself.
"Good. Eyes are slightly bloodshot, but my vision is intact. Hearing is gradually returning. Taste is normal; perception and touch are stabilizing. Good heavens, I almost sent myself to an early grave," Alan muttered, the fear still lingering in his chest.
"The good news is that the rune combination for this spell works—the interference is incredibly potent. The bad news is that it doesn't distinguish between friend and foe. Since the caster is the closest person to the source, it harms me before it ever reaches the enemy. What a headache," he summarized, talking to his reflection.
"Oh, the mouse!" Alan suddenly remembered his experimental subject and ran back outside.
He looked into the cage. The mouse was bleeding from its nose and ears, completely devoid of life.
"The effect is a bit too good," he whispered. Looking at the creature that had literally been vibrated to death, he felt a chill. If the output had been just a bit higher, he might have suffered irreversible internal damage or worse.
"I was too reckless. No wonder Professor Bones said spell experimentation is dangerous work." Alan frowned.
What now? The spell structure was finalized, but he couldn't use it. It was essentially a suicide charm, dealing massive damage to the enemy while crippling the caster. Yet, stopping now felt like a defeat. He had to find a way to shield himself.
"If I use a Silencing Charm to block my hearing, would that stop it? No, that's not right. Infrasonic waves aren't just sounds; they are kinetic waves that penetrate living tissue." He contemplated the possibilities, pacing the clearing.
"Would a Quieting Charm have any effect? Do these spells actually eliminate the waves, or just the audible noise? I have to figure out a counter-spell before I can ever use this in a fight." He debated whether he had the stomach for another test.
The temptation was too great; the new spell was right there, within his grasp. He decided to try once more.
"Just in case, I'll reduce the magic output by seventy percent."
After making the decision, Alan swallowed hard. He pointed his wand at himself and cast the Silencing Charm, the Quieting Charm, and every other muffling spell he knew, layering them until he was in a world of absolute silence. He didn't have the patience to test them one by one; if the combined effect worked, he would isolate the winner later.
He took a deep breath, adjusted his magic to a mere trickle, and activated the infrasonic sequence.
"Ugh!"
Alan immediately collapsed against the railing and began to retch again.
"The reaction wasn't as violent as last time, but that's probably just because I lowered the power. It means those charms are useless against resonance," he noted, recovering much faster this time. He wiped his mouth and immediately began analyzing the data.
"It seems I'll have to develop a spell that completely isolates vibration and sound waves. How troublesome," he thought, feeling a wave of discouragement. The experiment had given him a powerful weapon, but it had also handed him a problem he wasn't yet equipped to solve.
"Never mind. I'll ask Professor Bones tonight if he has any insights," Alan decided glumly.
Meanwhile, Charles had finished his training for the day and was walking over from the edge of the forest, drenched in sweat. Because Alan had been conducting his "noisy" experiments, he had sent Charles to train a safe distance from the cabin for the past few days.
After weeks of training and eating with Alan, Charles was looking much more robust, his posture straighter and his eyes brighter.
"What's that smell, Alan? What were you doing out here? It's sour, and... is that a dead mouse?" Charles asked, his nose wrinkling in distaste.
"Nothing much. Just an experiment that had a bit of a mishap. I was just about to clean up," Alan said. He waved his wand, a gust of wind clearing the air, followed by a Scouring Charm that vanished the remains of his morning's work.