Chapter 368: Lake of Darkness
Chapter 368: Lake of Darkness
As the group approached the door, Mr. Weasley, unfamiliar with the place, tripped over a large umbrella stand made from a troll's broken leg. He instinctively grabbed the moth-eaten velvet curtains and yanked them open.
"Oh, no—" Sirius Black didn't finish his sentence before a terrifying, deafening, and bone-chilling scream erupted from a portrait behind the curtain.
"Beast! Whore! Filthy and sinful spawn! Bastard, freak, abomination, get out of here! How dare you defile my family's ancestral home—"
"Shut up!" Sirius Black grabbed the curtain. "You terrible old hag, you killed Regulus. I found him, and now I'm going to bring him home."
"What, my child, Regulus, is dead?" The old woman's face immediately turned pale, and she displayed a look of sorrow. Every portrait in the Wizarding World has its own incomplete consciousness, often shaped by the original subject over time. This portrait of Sirius Black's mother was painted shortly before her death, imbued with Pureblood ideology, her dissatisfaction with her eldest son Sirius, and her longing for her missing younger son. Upon learning of Regulus's death, the portrait immediately showed signs of grief.
"Yes, it's all your fault, my dear mother. You sent him to his death." With that, Sirius Black forcefully pulled the curtain shut. This time, the woman in the portrait didn't scream as usual but sat there in a daze.
In silence, the four people and the house-elf left the house. Kreacher then led them to a large cavern. Holding a Lantern Plant in his hand, Liam could see a pool of water at one end of the cavern. A stone staircase led up from the water. The air was cold and still, with a faint smell of the sea, indicating they were near the coast.
"This is the place", Kreacher's voice was somber. "The door that requires blood is just ahead, but there's strange magic inside. Kreacher can't Apparate to a precise location within the dimension, so I can only come out from inside, not enter from outside. Kreacher has failed to complete Master's orders—" He was about to bang his head against the stone floor, but Sirius Black stopped him.
"That's enough. Stop it." Sirius Black walked to the stone wall Kreacher had indicated and pointed his wand at the rock. Instantly, the outline of an archway appeared, radiating a blinding white light, as if a strong light was shining through the crack. "This must be it."
He then took out the wizard's blood he had bought and poured it over the archway's outline. Sirius Black might have used a bit too much force, as the rock surface was splattered with dark red Blood Beads.
After the rock absorbed the blood, the archway outline didn't fade as it had before. Instead, the blood-soaked rock suddenly disappeared, revealing a doorway leading into endless darkness.
"Let's go!" Sirius Black raised the Lantern Plant Liam had given him in one hand and his wand in the other, leading the way. The others followed, maintaining a vigilant stance. Liam, however, didn't have a wand; instead, he held a thick stack of Yellow Paper Talismans.
Under the light of their sources, they saw a bizarre scene: they stood on the shore of a vast, black lake. The lake was so wide that the opposite shore was invisible. The cave they were in was so high that the ceiling was out of sight. Far off, in the middle of the lake, a faint, greenish glow shimmered, reflecting in the still, dark waters.
More unsettlingly, except for the light from their sources and the distant green glow, everything around them was shrouded in an impenetrable darkness. Even the Lantern Plants, designed to dispel darkness, couldn't illuminate much beyond their immediate vicinity. This suggested that the darkness was likely the result of some magic, not a natural phenomenon.
"Let's move forward", Sirius Black whispered, "be extremely careful not to step into the water. Everyone, stay close together, and let Liam walk in the middle."
After adjusting their formation, they began to walk along the narrow rocks by the lakeshore. Eventually, they reached a spot on the shore. This area was no different from the others—dark and cold. However, Kreacher recognized it, and under his guidance, they pulled out the boat that Voldemort had hidden here.
"We need to get to the island. Regulus was dragged into the water there. It will be easier to search there. Besides, the lakeshore is too narrow for us to maneuver. However, this boat only allows one Wizard to cross the lake. What should we do?" Lupin asked.
"I'll go", Sirius Black said impulsively, but Liam stopped him.
"It's better if we stay together. This place is too strange, and splitting up isn't a good idea." Liam stood by the boat and made a few gestures, then looked at the runes that appeared on it. "Besides, I have a way to get us all across."
This statement caught everyone's attention. Liam then explained, "I just examined this boat and found that the restriction isn't based on weight or soul, but on magical power. The designer of this trap only allows the equivalent of an adult Wizard's magical power to traverse the lake."
Liam smiled. "And I happen to have a way to shield a Wizard's magical power." He then pulled out several bracelets with rune stones attached. "Just put these on."
Everyone, except Sirius Black, put on the bracelets. They then squeezed onto the boat in a manner reminiscent of how Indians board public transport. As soon as everyone was on, the boat set off automatically, as if pulled by an invisible rope toward the green glow in the center of the lake.
The lake's surface was calm, and the water was clear. As they approached the island, they began to see bodies at the bottom of the water. At first, there were just a few, but then more and more appeared, until they could see layers of bodies, white as marble, piled up on the lakebed.
"Merlin, how many people has he killed?" Mr. Weasley groaned when he saw the bodies.
A few minutes later, the boat gently bumped into something and stopped. Under the light of their torches, Liam discovered they had arrived at a smooth, rocky island in the center of the lake.
The island was a single block of black rock, about a hundred square meters, and very flat. In the center was a stone basin, from which the green glow emanated, coming from a potion inside.
"Alright, let me set things up. Once it's ready, we can activate it", Liam said as they stepped onto the island. He then used the dagger in his hand to carve lines into the rock and filled them with a golden powder.
Ten minutes later, with the final line completed, the entire island transformed into a large Magic Array. Everyone present felt a flow of vitality and light that was starkly different from the surrounding environment.
Liam then pulled out seven or eight jars of Sunlight Crystals and handed them to the others. "When I activate the Magic Array, you'll need to evenly scatter the golden crystals from these jars into the surrounding water. The wights will climb up on their own and be purified when they touch the Magic Array."
He then handed Yellow Paper Talismans to Arthur and Lupin. "However, the Magic Array has its limits. If a large number of wights gather, please throw these talismans into the densest areas. These Magic Artifacts can slow and weaken them." Both men nodded in acknowledgment.
Liam then gave a few more talismans to Sirius Black and Kreacher. "When you see Regulus, use one of the talismans to stick it to his body, and you can bring him in." Sirius Black and Kreacher nodded seriously.
"Alright, 3, 2, 1—begin!" After making all the preparations, Liam activated the Magic Array.
(End of Chapter)
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