Chapter 117. Return to the Outer World.
Chimera Territory.
A great lion with a serpent's tail moved slowly through the forest. Perched on its head, chest puffed with pride, the fawn surveyed her surroundings with an air of imperious satisfaction, clearly convinced she was queen of this jungle.
A few seconds later, the beast stopped abruptly. The cub swatted its head in irritation at nearly being unseated, then followed her father's gaze and growled in displeasure. That made Severus smile.
"Decided?" he asked, a note of warmth in his voice. After parting with the King of Serpents and agreeing to meet again in five years, he had been making his way toward the "safe zone," which lay through chimera territory.
"I'll accept your offer if you swear by your magic that this isn't a trap, and that you won't harm my daughter..."
"Ryaaaar! Hesssss!" The fawn's head roared "menacingly" and her tail hissed. The great lion looked faintly embarrassed by her performance, and also quietly relieved that the human did not speak their language and could not know that the cub had just challenged him to a duel.
I've spoiled her too much... Covering his eyes with a paw, he shook his head, then stared in surprise at the red parchment hovering before his muzzle.
"This is a contract. I promise not to harm you, to feed you, and to provide housing. In return, you will guard me, my family, and my home. You don't need to worry, though. Beyond the barrier, it's calm, and you'll only be called upon in the most extreme circumstances."
The King of Chimeras nodded in silence and began to study the contract. Severus was not the first human to venture into its territory, and over the centuries its vast intellect had absorbed human speech and writing. The parchment itself was extraordinary: it could render text into almost any language, even Portuguese, spoken mainly in the Muggle regions of Brazil, as well as a range of magical tongues. The same held true of the "Magical Jungle," which drew foreign mages from all quarters.
For Severus, learning the language had been no great difficulty. With an exceptional memory, Legilimency, and a capable tutor, a single week had sufficed. Once in Brazil, reading the surface thoughts of Muggles and wizards had done the rest, raising his grasp of the language to a solid and reliable level.
Having read the contract and found nothing unusual in it, the creature watched the human cut his finger, let a drop of blood fall onto the sheet, and repeat the gesture. The parchment burned away.
"Glad we found common ground. I promise you won't regret this."
"I hope so, human."
Smiling, Severus produced a small box and held his open palm toward the wary beast.
"I'll move you into this box for the time being. There's no other way to bring you out of here." The chimera relaxed slightly and nodded. He transferred them into the artifact and slipped it into his wallet. "That's settled. Now I need to return the map..." He lowered his gaze to Nagini's head resting on his shoulder and offered an awkward smile. "Stop sulking."
He stroked her head gently. She responded with a snort.
"I'm not sulking. That's your imagination."
"Really? Your emotions say otherwise."
"Then don't read them."
"That's easier said than done."
"Then don't bring it up."
"Sigh... Where I was last night was far more dangerous than that serpent's lair. If I'd taken you with me, things could have ended badly for both of us. I would have had to think about your life as well as my own."
He settled onto a nearby stump and glanced to his right, where the same unsettling humanoid chimera was watching him. With a warm smile, he turned back to Nagini, and she quickly looked away. "You understand that."
"I... I understand. But I don't want to be a burden to you. I want to grow stronger and stop hiding behind your back. I don't want you to treat me like someone who always needs protecting." Firm resolve lit her eyes, and he could not help laughing, genuinely. For some reason he suddenly recalled a boy who had once said almost exactly the same thing, wearing that exact same expression.
"Why are you laughing?"
"Sorry. You reminded me of someone."
"And who, exactly? A pretty girl, I hope?"
"No. One very irritating boy."
"Hey!"
"You asked, so I answered." He shrugged, still smiling, and she took offense and turned away again. "All right. When we get home, we'll start working. I'll make you strong enough to mop the floor with that underground serpent."
"Really?"
"Of course. Have I ever lied to you?"
"Yes. Twice, at least."
"Hey!" At his outrage, Nagini broke into bright, hissing laughter.
Severus smiled too, though there was a thread of sadness in it, and the image of that boy slowly shifted into a man of about thirty, wearing a peaceful expression.
The second safe zone.
Three men entered the sparsely furnished room, one of them limping slightly and leaning on a colleague.
"Not bad. We haven't completely lost our edge," the bald wizard said with a smile, eyeing the displeased "patient." "All right, all right. You can rest for the next week." The other only nodded in silence.
"Boss, I got hurt too. Can I have a day off as well?"
"You were slacking the whole hunt." He fixed the second man with a contemptuous look, then noticed a small box on the sofa and immediately tensed. "Did someone come in here?"
"No, Boss. No one was here," the black-clad man who appeared at his side answered in a flat, toneless voice.
"I see. You're dismissed."
"Yes!"
The moment he vanished, the leader stepped closer and lifted the box to eye level.
"Boss, this could be dangerous. We don't know who might have left it."
"And who do you think could get in here without disturbing the shadows?" He snorted. Without any hesitation, he opened the lid, and a large humanoid creature bound with rope fell onto the table: hairless, with unnaturally long arms, sharp spider-like legs, three tails, one of them scorpion-tipped, and a mouth packed with shark teeth.
The other two nearly crapped themselves. The leader, however, only examined it in silence, even as his own shock cut far deeper than his expression suggested.
Beside it lay a sheet of paper. He picked it up, unfolded it, and found a map of the forest, now more complete, with two additional red zones marked and several more areas downgraded in danger rating.
At that same moment he felt a burning sensation on his arm. He looked down at the mark left by the contract and watched it crumble until it was gone entirely. The same happened to the other wizards in the room.
"Mark, tell our people to prepare. We leave tomorrow. Today, send several shadows ahead to reconnoiter." The man grinned, waving a hand at the growling creature on the floor. "And lock that thing in a cage. We'll put it up for sale tomorrow."
"Yes, Boss!"
Having wrapped up his business in the "Forbidden" reaches of the "Magical Jungle," at least for the next five years, Severus did not go directly to the first "safe zone." Instead he spent a few hours exploring the inner forest, hoping to find more of those fruits and perhaps stumble across additional crystals.
He had no luck with the latter. They were too well hidden and too thoroughly camouflaged. He did manage to locate two fruits, though it pushed his detection charms to their limits. His head ached for a while afterward, but he was satisfied with the result.
Back in the first safe zone, he had expected to be descended upon with accusations for having left that day, but nothing of the sort happened. Nearly all the wizards were out hunting a monster that had thrown the outer jungle into chaos.
So Severus walked into the village and walked back out just as calmly. This time he did not even bother with the market. What would be the point, when his wallet was already overflowing with materials? More than anything, he wanted to get outside and feel something approaching peace. The trip had been too tense, particularly toward the end.
Crossing the outer stretch of the Magical Jungle without much difficulty, sidestepping the other wizards darting through the trees, he used the passage he had entered through and finally left it all behind. The moment he stepped out, he noticed about ten black marks on the ground and a tent nearby, with loud snoring drifting from inside.
"Hmm..." Severus peered in, then quietly stepped back and left a letter beside it. He had completely forgotten about him. And it seemed he had not been in the jungle as long as it felt. Yes... that turned out badly.
"That was..." Even though she had grown considerably, Nagini still recognized the shadow mage Severus had once saved and taken on as a subordinate.
"Don't mind it."
"..." She had no idea what to say to that.
To cover his embarrassment, he coughed twice into his fist, then snapped his fingers. They vanished the next instant. At the same moment, rustling came from the tent and a head poked out.
Sleepily rubbing his eyes, the man spotted the sheet of paper beside his shelter.
"What's this?" He snatched it up and skimmed it, and his right eye twitched. "You bastard! Shove your 'now you can return to the hotel' up your arse, you bloody sadist!" He crumpled the note and flung it aside. Snorting, he noticed the sky darkening far too quickly. When he looked up, his lips began to tremble, and raw animal terror danced in his eyes.
By that time, Severus was already sitting on a sofa with a cup of tea, smiling at the excited writer across from him, pen in hand and notebook open on the table.
"...please, tell me what else you saw!" His gaze kept dropping to the map on the table. It was nearly complete now, which genuinely astonished Brew.
"So eager to know?"
"Mr. Snape, please don't make fun of me. I've devoted nearly my entire life to studying the 'Magical Jungle.'"
"Fine, fine. But this information is strictly confidential. Don't write any of it in your books." Severus held his gaze, voice firm, and the man swallowed nervously before nodding. "Good. Then let's begin with the outer forest..."
He was not going to mention the crystals, the devils, or the serpent. Surface-level information about the wildlife and the most dangerous areas would be enough. Even so, he had run a Legilimency check on the writer first.
Severus had no desire to boast about what he had done. He simply wanted to talk to a normal person and collect himself again. Even this brief time in the jungle had left a mark on him, and before returning to London he wanted to feel like himself. That was why, after his conversation with the writer, he spent the entire following day shopping and resting on the beach.
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