"A Horcrux!"
"A Horcrux?"
Sirius and Harry asked simultaneously, both unfamiliar with the term.
Sagres's gaze swept over the sinister serpentine S on the locket, and he slowly nodded.
"A container used to store a fragmented soul. And its existence means…"
He paused, then stated the chilling truth.
"As long as this thing is not destroyed, the person who made it can remain anchored to the world of the living, never truly killed, even after their physical body is destroyed."
"Voldemort…" Harry murmured, a chill rising up his spine.
"Yes," Sagres affirmed. "Voldemort made Horcruxes for himself. And this is one of them."
Sagres used a Levitation Charm to pick up the locket from a distance, then directly cast a spell at it.
"Tongue-tie…"
The light of the spell disappeared into the intricate carvings, but the locket remained motionless, like a sleeping stone.
Sagres's expression was unchanged as he waved his wand again:
"Manus perita, clavi pare.…"
This time, the locket trembled slightly, and a barely visible green light flowed through the gap in the lid, but it remained tightly closed.
"Let me try!" Sirius drew his wand, eager to give it a go.
He took the hovering locket from Sagres's hand and, without hesitation, recited the standard opening spell: "Alohomora!"
It had no effect.
But he didn't give up. Instead, he stubbornly cast several more unlocking charms, all of which failed without exception.
"This is unbelievable…" Sirius said in surprise. "Why don't we just destroy it directly?"
Sagres shook his head; he wanted to see if there was any message left by Salazar Slytherin himself inside the locket.
He looked at the emerald snake on the locket, and a thou
A thought suddenly flashed through his mind—Salazar Slytherin was a Parselmouth.
It was incredible that he had forgotten this.
So he put down his wand, concentrated, and directed a low, hoarse "hiss" at the ornate emerald serpentine "S" on the locket.
"Open!"
As soon as the chilling command was given, the locket's clasp clicked open with a soft sound.
In an instant, much of the light in the room seemed to be sucked away, and the temperature plummeted.
A thick black smoke surged out of the box, coalescing in mid-air to form a blurry human figure.
Harry felt a burning pain in his scar, and he couldn't help but let out a muffled groan.
The moment the locket opened, Sagres felt several waves of Legilimency subtly sweep over everyone.
It was very clever, but unfortunately, it met him.
Sagres watched the figure calmly, and only then did the face made of smoke begin to turn around.
Its cold gaze swept over everyone, finally settling on Sagres.
A voice spoke, neither sinister nor sharp, but rather deep and smooth, filled with an astonishing magnetism and candor.
Even Kreacher felt that the speaker was a wise elder sharing his valuable wisdom, making one involuntarily feel a sense of goodwill.
"A truly intelligent wizard…" the voice praised, with a perfectly measured hint of admiration. "With your wisdom and courage, you have deciphered the magic I left behind, allowing you to glimpse this great secret…"
The smoke rippled slightly, and that perceptive gaze seemed to sweep over Sirius and Harry again, but only Sagres knew it was still Legilimency.
"I can sense you… a noble bloodline wounded by family prejudice… a boy who, deep down, yearns for belonging and understanding…"
Finally, it focused its gaze on Sagres again. "…and you, a fellow practitioner with extraordinary power and profound wisdom."
Sagres watched the verbose figure with a calm expression, simply responding in a faint tone:
"Go on."
The smoky figure seemed encouraged by this. Its speaking speed increased, and its words became more earnest and tempting:
"I can feel your thirst for knowledge, your pursuit of eternal mysteries. And I know countless lost secrets and ancient powers buried by time… I can promise you, I am willing to share… There is no need for futile opposition between us. For if you and I join hands, the heights we can reach will far exceed what one can achieve alone."
Its voice was full of persuasion, and the black smoke gently swirled like tendrils, emitting a subtle mental fluctuation.
It was still trying to penetrate everyone's mental defenses, amplifying the desires within each person's heart.
However, Sagres's expression remained unchanged throughout.
When that fragment of a soul extended its seductive tendrils towards the other two, the last trace of observational interest in his eyes vanished, leaving only indifference.
"If your only reliance is these empty words, then you are probably doomed today."
The smoky figure suddenly froze, and a crack appeared in its carefully maintained aura of wisdom.
However, it didn't press more eagerly. Its voice simply became tinged with deeper temptation. "You refuse me? Heh heh, you might not know—I hold the ultimate secret to transcending death. I have a way to grant you immortality!"
"Voldemort."
Sagres called him by name, instantly shattering his carefully planned disguise.
"You—or rather, a part of you—trying every possible way to imprison another part of yourself in a cold, dead object. Is that what you call 'immortality'?"
The remnant soul seemed burned by the name, and the smoke churned violently.
The previous pretense of gentleness and wisdom instantly evaporated, and the voice suddenly became sinister. "What do you know?! This is the art of transcending death! It is true eternity! As long as this thing exists, I will never truly perish! And you… will eventually become insignificant dust beneath my feet!"
"True eternity?"
Sagres gently shook his head, his tone even carrying a hint of pity. "To be cut, to be imprisoned, to cling to a dead object like a parasite… Does this deserve to be called eternity?"
He couldn't help but shake his head as he spoke. "In my opinion, it's more like an inescapable curse."
Voldemort couldn't help but laugh after hearing Sagres's words. His Legilimency had never been able to break through the other party's defenses, so he didn't know what Sagres wanted from beginning to end.
Sagres watched him laugh quietly.
After a while, Voldemort spoke again:
"Then what is your brilliant idea, young wizard?"
His voice had completely shed all pretense, becoming sharp and piercing. The black smoke twisted violently, trying to expand to appear more threatening, but it was confined around the locket by an invisible force.
"You so desecrate this supreme magic. Is it because you have a more brilliant method?!"
Voldemort asked sarcastically, then let out a sharp, sinister laugh. "I guess you don't, because this is the best method I could find after consulting all the ancient texts. This is a miracle, it's—"
"It's despair."
Sagres interrupted him coldly, his gaze seemingly piercing through the swirling black mist to see its weak essence at the core.
"It is a deformed product born from your fear of death. You would even rather destroy yourself than face the end with equanimity."
The smoky face let out a cold snort full of disgust. "You haven't died yet. How do you know what you'll be like when you face death?"
Sagres actually wanted to say that he had died once, but at this moment he was somewhat disheartened. He waved his hand. "Our conversation is over."
He no longer looked at the struggling, twisting remnant soul, but turned directly to Harry, his tone calm and unruffled:
"Mr. Potter, close it. It's too noisy."
Harry was infected by Sagres's calmness, and his fear lessened slightly.
He concentrated and let out a clear, firm hiss at the unsettling black smoky face.
"Close!"
Voldemort's face instantly twisted, and the black smoke churned and surged as if pulled by invisible ropes, then was forcibly sucked back into the locket.
"I will rise back! And when I do! You! You will regret this…"
The black smoke said coldly before being shut back in.
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