Hogwarts, The Chamber of Secrets.
[Hiss...]
A massive, dark-green body, undulating like a mountain range, slithered slowly across the cold, hard stone floor. Like lanterns guiding the way to the afterlife in the pitch-black darkness, a pair of vertical orange pupils stared intently at a sudden ripple in the air.
Fangs capable of devouring a man whole were bared; muscles coiled, ready to strike—
Splash!
Ethan stepped lightly through the shimmering foam.
He didn't land on the floor, however. Instead, he found himself standing on a slippery, freezing surface. Lowering his head, he locked eyes with a pair of massive, fawning eyes.
"...Little Snakey?"
[Hiss, hiss~~]
The Basilisk flicked its tongue joyfully, behaving exactly like a dog greeting its master. Even the tip of its tail was wagging frantically from side to side. It accidentally clipped a stone pillar, instantly shattering a chunk of the solid rock.
Ethan: "..."
His mouth twitched as a look of sheer disgust crossed his face. Lifting his foot, he stepped off the Basilisk's gargantuan head and massaged his own neck, muttering to himself:
"Speaking of which, I just met your relative. Well, can she even be called a relative?"
[Hiss?!]
Hearing this, the Basilisk immediately acted as if it were facing a mortal enemy! It desperately rubbed its massive head against Ethan's body, looking as if it were about to let out a whimpering (ying ying ying) sound.
Why does Master have the scent of another snake on him? Am I no longer Master's favorite little snakey?
[Hiss hiss QAQ]
Ethan sighed. "Thinking about it now, snake stew is supposedly very nourishing..."
The Basilisk: !!
I was wrong, Master.
"Hmph."
Ethan watched with disdain as the Basilisk scurried back into the plumbing like a giant, wriggling slime mold. Truly, a "Lord Ye's Love of Dragons" situation—except with snakes.
More than Nagini's request, Ethan was preoccupied with her final words:
[Take me to him.]
"I feel like I've heard that line somewhere before..." Ethan pondered for a moment but couldn't quite place it. "Forget it, business first. Anyway, the drama between Nagini and Dumbledore's relatives has nothing to do with the Death God. If I get the chance, I'll look into it later."
Next, Ethan raised his hand.
In his palm, a swirling mass of grey mist appeared. This was Grindelwald's innate talent: the Accurate Prophecy Mist!
"Soul synchronization, the Blood Pact, Prophecy Mist, the Dark Creature Mark... and once I protect Ravenclaw's Diadem, Helena will tell me the secret core of Hogwarts."
"This trip to the past was short, sweet, and absolutely loaded with loot!"
I really am the best.
Ethan's lips curled into a smug grin. His cobalt-blue eyes fixed on the grey mist in his palm.
"Through the Prophecy Mist, I should be able to find the exact clues regarding the other half of the Death God's Remnants..."
Ethan took a deep breath and, as if blowing through a tobacco pipe, injected his magic into the swirling vapor.
Whoosh!
Like a tent being snapped open by the wind, the grey mist suddenly billowed upward. it spread through the air, forming a curtain-like screen.
"Show me the clues to the other half of the Death God's Remnants... Show me the clues to the other half of the Death God's Remnants..." Ethan chanted internally, staring unblinkingly at the fog.
The mist trembled twice, and then an image began to manifest. A faint friction sound echoed, like bare feet walking across a rough, stone floor.
In the gloom, a flickering, swaying halo of light appeared.
"This is..." Ethan narrowed his eyes, trying to make out the shapes.
Gradually, like wiping the condensation off a window, the blurry image sharpened. It was only when the sound of footsteps finally stopped that Ethan saw them clearly—a long trail of blood-red footprints.
Moonlight poured through a tall archway, spilling across the dim interior and outlining a blood-soaked figure. She held a weak, flickering candle that barely illuminated her surroundings—though it seemed the light served no practical purpose for her anyway.
Her skin was as white as snow, making one wonder if warm blood even flowed through her veins. This only made the crimson stains on her bare feet look more horrifying.
Drip. Drip.
Fresh blood spread out from beneath her, slowly pooling on the floor. In the pale moonlight, Ethan saw what lay before the slender silhouette.
It was the former Headmaster of Hogwarts—Albus Dumbledore!
His skin was stiff and grey, his eyes stared vacantly at nothing, and his silver-white hair had lost its usual luster, matted with dirt and gore. He lay amidst the ruins, blood flowing like a river.
He was, quite clearly, dead.
In that instant, Ethan's breath hitched!
Right! He remembered now! In the original story, Dumbledore was fated to die at the end of this year! He was supposed to be killed by Snape, who had taken over Draco Malfoy's mission.
It was a fated death.
"I thought that with both Malfoy and Snape under my thumb, Dumbledore wouldn't have to die. It seems fate isn't that easily changed."
The Death God would surely find any way possible to kill the Dumbledore who "should" be dead! And was this person in the mist the new killer?
Ethan stared at the figure standing with her back to him over the old Headmaster's corpse. After a long moment, his lips slowly curled into a grin.
"Heh, you certainly don't disappoint. This is getting more interesting by the second~"
Not only was she the "killer" of Dumbledore, but according to the requirements of the prophecy—this slender figure was also the person connected to the Death God's Remnants!
Whoosh!
Like a breeze passing through, the grey mist dissipated, and the image vanished. Although the figure—the key to everything—had kept her back to Ethan the entire time, showing only a blurry silhouette...
"It's enough," Ethan's eyes grew brighter and brighter, like a cat that had spotted a mouse. "There is one key physical trait that is enough for me to identify her!"
And that was—a hunched back!
In a flash, scenes flickered through Ethan's mind. The little beggar he brushed past in Diagon Alley; the Slytherin freshman who appeared in the Great Hall despite Ethan having no memory of her being in the Book of Admittance...
"There is only one truth!"
Ethan conjured a pair of round glasses and pushed them up his nose with exaggerated seriousness, shouting excitedly: "The killer is—err—"
He suddenly stalled.
...He realized he didn't actually know the girl's name yet.
Hehe.
"Anyway, the Death God's Remnant and Dumbledore's killer should be that mysterious hunchbacked girl." Ethan waved away the glasses. "The clue for the first remnant was 'Snake'... Is that girl related to snakes? I'll just have to go ask and find out."
Speaking of snakes...
Ethan couldn't help but scratch his neck, feeling two scabbed-over puncture wounds. These were the bite marks Nagini had left before he departed. They didn't hurt anymore, but a lingering, icy burning sensation remained. It seeped through his skin and into his veins, radiating an itch from the inside out.
"Yare yare, what a pushy woman," Ethan shook his head, scratching at his neck. "Talk about a forced transaction..."
"Still, I suppose I got a decent little 'buff' out of it."
[Tainted with the aura of a curse; allows the user to disguise themselves as a Dark Creature and confuse the sense of smell.]
"One small step in changing my aura, one giant leap toward my ascension of flesh and blood." Ethan clenched his fist, his gaze burning with ambition.
Suddenly, a spark of realization hit him, making him let out a sharp "Sss."
"I have a feeling Luna won't be happy when she sees this mark..."
Ethan felt a sudden tightness in his gut; the cold scar on his neck suddenly felt scalding hot. He stood there, revving up his "brilliant Ravenclaw brain," frowning in deep thought for a moment. Finally, he snapped his fingers.
He flashed a brilliant smile.
"Haha! It was just a bite from a passionate, assertive female Maledictus. Luna is so open-minded and understanding, why would she be angry? Yes, I'm definitely overthinking it."
With the same confidence as someone marking a definitive answer on an exam, Ethan nodded. He tossed the "incorrect" thought to the back of his mind.
"No time to lose. I'll go find that hunchbacked girl right now and get to the bottom of this."
Ethan lifted his foot to take a step, but then...
A wave of intense exhaustion crashed over him like a tidal wave!
Thud!
Ethan collapsed heavily to the floor. His consciousness slid rapidly into the abyss; he couldn't even move a finger.
"Traveling through the past... really does drain the stamina..."
At least let me go report in to Luna first...
Unfortunately, Ethan soon fell into a baby-like slumber. He was completely unaware that after he fell asleep, a slender, moonlight-pale figure drifted silently out of the shadows.
A pair of blue eyes gazed down at the sleeping Ethan. Her lips parted slightly as she whispered:
"Ethan, you left me behind again... and you even brought back the scent of a wild beast."
A pale, delicate finger reached down, tracing the bite marks on his neck. Then, slowly, the hand began to tighten.
"...Naughty boys who don't listen... need to be punished."
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