Chapter 445: The Curtain Beyond
Chapter 445: The Curtain Beyond
“What about Liam and Hermione?” Harry shouted as Lupin dragged him away, “They’re still on the platform.”
As Harry shouted, the Tentacles formed of countless human bodies, accompanied by a massive wave of death, struck the mist-like Barrier once again. Harry clearly saw Liam and Hermione both spit out a mouthful of blood.
“I have to go save them—” Before Harry could finish his sentence, Lupin cast a spell that knocked him unconscious and quickly carried him away. Having experienced brutal wars, they knew this wasn’t the time for sentimentality. Returning now would only result in more deaths and render Liam and Hermione’s sacrifices meaningless.
As the Order of the Phoenix members left, each one who passed by Liam and Hermione nodded solemnly, even Professor Mcgonagall.
“It feels like a farewell to the dead, everyone’s so serious,” Liam said to Hermione with a smile as they climbed the stairs, though the blood on his face made the smile seem strangely poignant.
“I think it’s because they feel they should have brought a bouquet of white lilies,” Hermione whispered, then pursed her lips in a small smile. Although Liam had taken the brunt of the impact, the shock waves had still inflicted significant damage on Hermione. Her face was pale, and she looked no better than Liam.
Once everyone had safely disappeared through the entrance at the top of the stairs, Liam prepared to use the Multiverse General Store’s emergency escape function to get away with Hermione. As someone who liked to be prepared, Liam rarely fought without a plan, and now was the time to use his prepared method to escape danger.
But just as Liam was about to activate the escape, the waves of death that had been battering the Barrier vanished without a trace, as if they had never existed. The force that had restrained his wand also disappeared, allowing Liam to easily retrieve it.
“What is—” Before Liam could react, a powerful suction force erupted from the stone archway, pulling Liam and Hermione inside.
The moment they were sucked into the archway, Liam’s heart sank, and a strong sense of unwillingness welled up inside him. Although he had died once before, he would never get used to it. What made it even more disheartening was that this time, he wasn’t the only one who would die; he was also dragging someone very important to him into death.
“Death isn’t that scary. Maybe we’ll get lucky and return to our original worlds,” Liam tried to encourage himself. “It’s just that Hermione didn’t have to come—”
But he quickly realized that if he were really dead, he shouldn’t still be thinking. Liam, who had closed his eyes to await death, suddenly opened them and saw white flames emanating from the rings on his and Hermione’s hands. These flames spread from their hands to cover their entire bodies, providing complete protection. When he looked at Hermione, he saw that her eyes were tightly shut, and she was muttering something.
Liam immediately understood the situation. The archway likely represented the death aspect of this world. The death rules within could instantly kill anyone who entered. However, the rings contained the power of the Flame of Eternity, which, though not very strong, had a high level of existence.
The death forces around them couldn’t penetrate the protective barrier of this foundational power from another world. Even facing the entire world’s death forces, this small bit of Flame of Eternity was enough to provide comprehensive protection for both Liam and Hermione.
Surrounded by a gray mist, the two could only feel themselves continuously falling. Although the System’s escape function could still be activated, it would mean living forever in another world, as returning would bring them back to this place.
"We should have run as soon as the pressure in the archway decreased", Liam thought, feeling a bit regretful. Who could have predicted that the archway would not only release the power of death but also suck things from the outside into it?
"Liam, where are we? Are we dead?" As Liam was lost in thought, Hermione's soft murmur reached his ears. "We must be dead, but it doesn't hurt at all. It's not too bad as long as Liam is here, and we saved so many people. The only problem is that we're both only children. What will our parents do if we're gone—"
"Good news, we're not dead yet. Bad news, we're trapped behind that archway, and we can't leave the World of Death for now", Liam immediately interrupted her, hearing Hermione's rambling.
"Alright, being alive is better than anything else", Hermione said optimistically as she opened her eyes and looked around. "Is there anything we can do to change our situation, like stopping our fall?"
"I think I have an idea", Liam said, his voice calmer now, thanks to Hermione's composed demeanor. He began by waving his wand and casting a few spells, but these spells were distorted or completely ineffective in the environment filled with the aura and rules of death. After some thought, he bit his left hand and drew a series of blood-red runes in the air. He then used these runes to summon the Flame of Eternity from his rings and began examining the surroundings.
Hermione first saw Liam wave his wand, which only glowed faintly at the tip. But soon, Liam abandoned his wand and directed some blood-red runes to circle around him. These runes then wrapped themselves in a layer of the white flame that enveloped them and flew off in all directions.
However, the runes soon returned, forming a gray flame filled with the aura of death on their tightly clasped hands. Liam began chanting a spell, and with each repetition, the flame on their hands would shake violently, and an invisible wave would ripple outward. Hermione noticed that with each energy wave, the surrounding mist seemed to slowly solidify.
However, Liam didn't notice this. As the waves spread, he fell into a trance-like state, receiving feedback from the surrounding gray mist. Voices he had never heard before began echoing in his mind.
"No, I don't want to die—" "Just a few Mudbloods, uh—" "What—"
...
"Kill—kill—" "Head, Gog, smash—"
...
"Master, I did my best." "I want to live, no matter what."
"This is the Cepesh Family, how could anyone intrude?" "Huh? Strange puppet, ah—" "For the glory of the Cepesh Family, charge—"
Countless voices flooded Liam's soul, making him feel increasingly powerful, as if he could grasp and know everything.
"Liam, Liam—" As Liam's senses rapidly expanded, as if he could hold everything around him in his grasp, he faintly heard someone calling his name and felt his body being shaken.
His thoughts rushed back into his body, and Liam broke out in a cold sweat. He had used Life Magic to try to communicate with the surrounding world of death, but the world was too powerful. Even with the protection of the Flame of Eternity, he nearly lost himself in the vast World of Death. Thankfully, Hermione's heartfelt call, bound by their Soul Bond, brought his soul back.
"What is this?" Opening his eyes, Liam was surprised to find himself lying on a floor of gray tiles, with Hermione kneeling beside him, cradling his head in her lap and stroking his face while repeatedly calling his name.
"You're awake!" Hermione exclaimed happily when she saw Liam's eyes open.
"What exactly happened?" With Hermione's help, Liam sat up, leaning against her, and asked.
(End of Chapter)
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